Normally, on a fine Saturday like today, Len would be holed up in his room with his PS3 playing some of his favorite games. (He just got Eternal Sonata and he's been addicted to it ever since.)
However, due to a really random distress call from his quirky friend Rin ("I need you over here! Pronto! Get a move on, you lazy bum, it's not polite to make a girl wait!"), his plans were put on hold, and he was forced to make the ten minute trek down the road to her house, reluctance evident in his steps.
It's not that he dislikes going to her house. He loves hanging out with Rin, she's his best friend and he always has fun with her- even if she gets pretty annoying. He'd be hard-pressed to choose between a day with her and one full of video games.
Nah, the real problem lies with her older brother, Rinto. It's like he's got this horrific sister complex. Whenever Len comes to spend time with her, the older blonde boy creepily watches him like a hawk stalking its prey, as if plotting the many different ways he'd like to dismember him for touching Rin in any way. Sure, he's seen some pretty protective older brothers- Miku's older brother, Mikuo, can get defensive over the tealette, but he doesn't go to stalker-like extremes when it comes to her.
It's also like Rin's brother has it out for him, too. Specifically, because he's practically with her every day. There's always this tangible chill in the room when he gets stuck alone with Rinto. He's honestly surprised that he hasn't been threatened within an inch of his life yet. (Not that the glares sent his way haven't obviously portrayed the death sentence awaiting him.)
His worries are all pretty unfounded, though. Len's, of course, never tried anything on her. Why? Well, because 1) it'd be pretty weird of him to do that kind of thing to her because she's Rin for God's sake; she'd probably kill him- and 2), what. Him? Try to do anything even remotely romantic to her?
You have to be joking. Like, seriously.
In the way of crushes, Rin has never publicly voiced hers if she has one (though he imagines she probably doesn't. It's kind of strange thinking about her being in love with someone, being the stubborn, tomboyish girl she is.) Len himself is just kind of- well, really oblivious to that kind of stuff. Who needs crushes when you have video games and bananas? That's plenty of love right there.
He doesn't get into that mushy junk. It might be nice to fall in love with somebody, but he can't think of anyone he might feel that way about. Mostly because the only person who comes to mind is Rin of all people, and of course that's not happening.
Shaking these intrusive thoughts from his mind, he sprints the last of the distance to her yard and trudges through the grass, tapping an uneven rhythm on the bright white front door. He's barely waited two seconds before it's thrown open, a haggard blonde male peering down at him and painfully reminding Len of his short stature.
"Oh. It's you." There's no warmth in Rinto's tone as he narrows his eyes, scrutinizing his casual apparel. "What do you want?"
"Uh, Rin called," he starts, fidgeting a bit uncomfortably under the intense stare.
"Len!" Thankfully, he isn't forced to talk to the older boy as Rin's bouncy form hops down her stairs, rushing past her brother and grabbing his arm roughly, prominent white bow bobbing atop her head. "About time, sheesh. Why are you always so slow? Come on!"
"W-what? H-hey, hang on!" he tries to slow her down, but there's no stopping her from dragging him upstairs. As he goes, he can feel Rinto's scorching gaze burning a hole in his back.
Once out of the unnerving sights of her brother and safely situated in her room, Rin lets go of Len and starts pacing the area, her fingers tapping her chin. Mildly confused, he sinks into the thick yellow comforter on her bed, watching her a few moments before pressing her further.
"So," he finally speaks, "what is it that you so badly needed me for?"
She stops pacing and focuses her cornflower blue eyes on him. Her mouth opens, then closes, and she growls to herself, seeming frustrated. After a bit of this, she finally clears her throat.
"Len, I need your help," she says seriously, nodding her head slowly.
"...With?" For some reason, he doesn't like the sound of this.
Somehow, for once in his life, he's watching her become increasingly flustered. Because of this, his worries seem to grow in proportion. What could possibly be so embarrassing that she's stalling for so long?
Rin's cheeks are red, but her eyes have turned determined, fiery. "You and I are both fourteen, you know? There's a lot of life we haven't experienced yet, and- and I want you to help me fix that!"
"Rin, could you just tell me what you want already? Otherwise, I'm going home." He hopes maybe, with an empty threat, it'll force her to get to the point. So far, he's completely mystified.
Her cheeks blow up, making her momentarily resemble a pufferfish, and then she exhales loudly.
"Well, um…" she twiddles her fingers in front of her, before clasping her hands together. "I- I've never kissed anyone!"
The confession is so unexpected, Len about falls from his perch at the edge of her bed. Recovering quickly, he stares at the tomato-faced blonde. "Wha-? What does that have to do with anything?" How is he supposed to take that, anyway? Not like he needs to know. Ugh, he should have just stayed home.
"Len!" Her eyes grow brighter with her declaration, and she thrusts a pointed finger his direction, making him lean back slightly. "You're the one I entrust my first kiss to!"
If he hadn't been completely baffled before, now he is. He can't believe a word he's hearing. Is this some whacked joke? His face is on fire as unwanted images of kissing Rin flood his poor, innocent mind.
Cowering on the bed and giving her a panicked look, he throws his hands out in a surrender motion. "Rin, have you lost your mind?! I don't want it!"
Rin frowns at him, her face falling. "Len, please? I want you to be my first kiss!"
"Why me?!" he nearly shouts, casting a worried glance at her bedroom door. If Rinto hears this conversation, he'll murder him without a second thought. What the hell is she thinking? "Why now? Isn't there- Isn't there anyone else you could be asking?"
"Because you're my best friend is why I asked!" she clarifies, her gaze shifting to the floor. "I mean… it's 'cause… Miku got her first kiss the other day, and a lot of my friends have already had theirs, but I still haven't…" her voice trails off.
Len feels a bit regretful he became so upset, but he still shakes his head in protest. "L-look, Rin, not me, okay? I mean, it'll be really weird, y'know? And- and it's not like I've ever kissed anyone either, so I'll probably be bad at it. Don't forget your brother would skin me alive if he ever found out."
Out of nowhere, she grabs his hands, holding them tightly in her own as her darkened sapphire eyes search his, causing his heart to panic in his chest. "It's okay!" she states firmly. "If we're both bad at it, it won't matter! It's a first kiss, right? It's perfectly okay to be bad. Please, Len? You're the only person I want to have it, b-because…"
She pauses, then manages to voice the rest of her thought though her cheeks glow brighter red. "...Because you're a very special person to me, Len, and I know you're definitely worth giving it to."
He gapes at her. Is he hearing any of this correctly? Is he having a dream-or rather, nightmare? Rin wanting him to have her first kiss- and taking his in the process. He's never, ever put thought into this kind of weird thing.
...Well, that's a tiny lie. He may have had the once-in-a-great-while errant thought that maybe he might like her, and maybe he'd be willing to kiss her because of both curiosity and the possibility of actually figuring out if he had feelings, even with his aversion to romantic anything-
But this? This is definitely waaaaay out of his league of expertise and there's no way he's agreeing to it.
Even if Rin is giving him doe eyes and practically wearing her heart on her sleeve, which is highly uncharacteristic for her.
...Oh, crap.
He tries focusing his gaze anywhere else, but it's pointless. Her expression has burned itself into his eyes, and he realizes unfortunately that Rin has more hold over him than he'd be willing to admit.
Rinto is definitely going to kill him.
"U-um, well…" He's frantically trying to stop himself from saying it, but the words cross his lips anyway. "I- I still don't think that it should be me, but…"
Her eyes widen. "Will you, please, Len?" The hope in her voice is almost painful. "For me? Just the one time, promise!"
He lets out a heavy sigh, knowing full-well he's screwed. "...Fine."
"Yay!" Rin grins at him, letting go of his hands to clap her own together. "I knew you'd do it!"
"Shh!" Len hushes her fast, motioning down with his hands. "Rinto's still in the house- if he hears you, he'll freak out."
"Right, right," she says nonchalantly, as if the idea of her best friend being mauled by her brother doesn't worry her in the slightest, and climbs onto the bed beside him, seating herself so she's facing him.
Internally, Len starts panicking. What is he going to do? Kissing Rin? Repeat; Rin. How can he pull that off? It's going to be so awkward and confusing… Why did he let her push him into agreeing? He's going to literally die of mortification.
Looking at her excited face, he resigns himself to the fact that it's far too late for regrets. He'll have to manage somehow- even if he has no idea what he's doing.
She peers at him, her lips pursing in thought- oh great now he's paying too much attention to her mouth someone kill him please- and tilts her head. "...So, um, how do we do it, anyway?"
Send help- he's about to just keel over in embarrassment. "Uh… Like I have any idea," he retorts, shrugging hopelessly.
Rin nibbles on her bottom lip anxiously. "Well… You're the guy," she mumbles. "You've gotta initiate it."
"Wait, what?! You're the one who wants me to do this in the first place!" he says, horrified. "Why do I need to make the move?"
"It's not the same if it's me, so just do it, stupid!" she demands.
He grumbles to himself, frustrated with her logic. "Ugh. ...Whatever."
Staring at her face, he swallows hard and slowly leans in. Do I move my head a little? Is she supposed to? Uh… What if we bump noses?
Rin, seeing his face approach hers, closes her eyes and puckers her lips. He fights a bout of laughter at how silly she looks. Cute, but incredibly silly. He can't kiss her when she looks like she swallowed an entire lemon.
"Rin. Please stop," he forces out (without laughing, even. He congratulates himself.)
"Huh? Why? Isn't this right?" her eyes reopen in confusion, and his nerve tries to disappear on him.
"It- it's really forced. Just, uh, be yourself," he suggests.
She lets out a sharp exhale. "Okay, okay." Rin closes her eyes once again, and she stays perfectly still save for her quiet breathing.
Trying to gather his scattered courage, Len adjusts his position and places his hands on her shoulders. (Have his palms been this sweaty before? Sheesh. And it feels like his face is trying to boil off- come on.) Taking a deep breath, he starts moving toward her face again- only to come to a stop again.
"Uh… Is it weird if I hold your shoulders like this?" he questions.
Without looking at him, she shakes her head, sending a whiff of her citrusy shampoo his way. "N-nah, it's okay."
Why can't he stop talking? "Er, and you're not uncomfortable?"
"No…"
"Should I move a little bit? I'm not sure if this is too close or-"
"Len."
Her annoyed tone makes him blink rapidly, shutting him up finally as she shoots him a glare through one narrowly-opened eye.
"Shut up and kiss me, will you?"
The remainder of the blood in his body floods his face, and he steels himself with determination. I'm over here stalling, but- it's not like I can put it off anymore. I just have to face it like a man.
So he pulls Rin forward a little, moving his head a bit to the side as not to accidentally hit her nose, and closes his eyes. Here goes nothing.
There's a slight pause where he feels her shallow breath on his face (not necessarily as unpleasant as it sounds,) and then he finally just- does it. A flicker of a touch as his lips graze her own, sending unexpected sparks flashing under his skin. Her mouth is warm, and his hesitance seems to fade the longer he's in contact with her. The light brush of their mouths deepens when Len presses against her lips a bit more firmly, the warmth in it spreading from the connection and throughout his entire body in an unfamiliar way.
Is kissing always like this? he wonders vaguely, the only coherent thought he can string together through the odd haze that's taken over his mind. Somewhere in the middle of the gentle kiss, his hands slipped from Rin's shoulders, one hand softly finding purchase in her hair while the other rested on her own between them. Her skin is smooth to the touch, and he finds that doing this isn't nearly as terrifying as it seemed- nor is it half as awkward.
Maybe he does like her. That would explain- well, a lot. Like why he's reluctant to end it; why he loves it when her fingers caress his cheek and she sighs contently, like she's feeling the exact same way he is right now. His every sense goes on hyper alert, and he's almost overwhelmed by the overall sweetness of the action. It's exhilarating.
He's concerned for his sanity when Rin finally tugs herself away from his unwilling grasp, moving back and withdrawing her hand, her eyes glistening and unreadable as they find anywhere else to look but his face. He can still feel her lips against his, and there are far too many unanswered and answerless questions flipping through his head.
Sudden embarrassment hitting him, he leans away from her, nearly falling onto the bedspread with the motion.
"Is- is that- uh-" Dammit, words were so easy to come across earlier, but it's like his tongue is tied in a knot and he can't think because of her. "-was it e-everything- um, that you wanted-?"
Rin takes a moment to respond. Her fingers clutch the blanket mercilessly, squeezing clumps of it with white knuckles. "...Y-yeah," she stammers, still refusing to look at him.
Silence as the two blushing blondes try to find a way to proceed; awkwardness fills the room. Len kicks himself mentally. Maybe I took it too far? I got into it even though it wasn't supposed to mean anything special, and… could she be mad at me?
"Len?"
His name draws him back to her, even though he would give anything to crawl into some dark hole and be forgotten. "U-um, yeah?"
She fidgets with the hem of her tank top, her blue eyes flickering to his and then back down to the blanket. "...Thanks."
Oh, hell. He's slammed with the worst mixture of longing and panic he's ever felt in his life, simply because of the sincerity in her voice. He wants to repeat the kiss, to feel the odd but perfect heat from her lips and be close enough to her to catch the slightest tone of lavender perfume she wears. At the same time, he wants to jump from the bed and run as fast as he can back to his house to forget any of it happened at all.
Instead of either option, Len simply murmurs "It's nothing," running a hand through his unruly bangs and scolding himself internally over and over.
"Um…" Rin worries at her lip again. "I… I appreciate it. D-did you, um… Was it okay?" Vulnerability takes place in her words.
'Okay'? It was something else, for sure, something weird and mind-numbing and brilliant. 'Okay' is not the word he would use. "..Yeah. It was, ah, pretty… nice," he finishes lamely.
"Nice?" she perks up, cheeks rosy. "Like… you liked it? It wasn't a- a bad first kiss, then?"
"No… It was a pretty good one," he admits with slight hesitance.
"So, then…" Rin leans toward him a bit, and he blinks in surprise. "...If I said that, um, I wanted to entrust my second kiss to you, too… Would that be okay?"
His heartbeat gets a shock, causing it to gallop at high speed in his chest with apprehensive elation. He can't honestly believe what he just heard, but then again, the last twenty minutes have been the stuff of dreams. So much for ignoring romance altogether- he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to try it again, with Rin no less.
"A-again?" Len squeaks in response. "With me?"
She nods firmly. "Yeah… with you. I… I really want to," she confesses quietly.
His eyes want to pop from his skull, but he refrains from making any kind of remark that might make her change her mind. "O-okay," he agrees, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I- uh, me too, Rin. I mean, um, not to be weird, but I kind of… yeah." The logical piecing together of his words makes him physically facepalm. He's never felt so dumb in his life.
"Really?" Rin looks pleasantly surprised, but a smile buds over her face, spreading and causing him to return it with one of his own. "Then…"
This time, they both move in toward the other, eyes sliding shut. Len's chest feels tight and filled with warmth, and he's so, so very ready to try it again, to kiss her because hey, it's actually a lot nicer than he ever thought and there just might be something to this whole romance thing-
Seconds before they can make contact again, Rin's bedroom door flies open and hits the wall, revealing Rinto holding two cans of sprite in hand.
"Hey, Rin, I figured I'd come see if you two-" his voice abruptly cuts off as he catches sight of the two blondes mere inches from each other, and the soda falls from the older boy's grasp to thud metallically against the wooden floor. At the same moment, Len and Rin jump apart, red-faced and feeling embarrassment washing over them both.
Rinto glares at Len, his face slowly turning shades of angry red, and then he raises his hands, cracking his knuckles noisily and sending chills rushing through the blonde's bloodstream. At that moment, he knew his life was in danger.
With a roar like that of a lioness protecting her kittens, Rin's older brother proclaims, "Kagamine, today you die!"
...Maybe he ought to start running.
A/N: A new fluff fic that literally came from the depths of nowhere. Send aid.
This is unbeta'd for now, since I'm gonna wait til Piri's finished RTI's chaps to send something else her way, haha.
I wrote this with 'Maid Factor', 'My Everything, All of It To You', and 'Someday, My Cinderella Will Come' playing, fueling my muse so that I could produce something that wouldn't depress everyone, haha.
This came from the many, many fluff ideas I have stored away in a doc that was simply waiting to be written, and of course it became waaaay longer than it should have. Once I started it, I was consumed by it, and before I knew it had exceeded 2k and I was well into fluff central. Oops.
Anyway, I hope you liked this return to normal. I'm heavily working on RTI's next chapters, but don't expect lots of updates; in fact, March is gonna be pretty dead for me thanks to a family trip, so. I'm sorry ;_;
Thanks for reading, and lemme know what you thought!
Read on~.
~Disclaimer~ I own nothing but hesitant kisses and awkward situations. And a brother who'll kill anyone who wants to touch me, XD. Not Len and Rin, unfortunately.
