1: To Tease You

"Len, we're like fire and ice—do you realize what happens when those two elements meet?" Rin demanded, perpetually wintry eyes gazing at him. Impatience burned in them. He stared back at her for a moment before a particularly mischievous expression took over his face, smirked lips parting to reply. "...Steam?"

-.-.-.-.-.-

Rin's house was cute. It was painted white with mint green shutters, acquired a wide front porch peppered with a few chairs along with potted flowers ranging from pretty daisies to roses, and had a friendly-looking ceramic bunny hanging from the door holding a sign that read "Hello!" in bold, pink letters. He wasn't exactly shocked at the design of the home; Rin always seemed awfully feminine in comparison to the other girls in class, crossing her legs in a lady-like fashion, wearing skirts even during the winter but with down to ankle-length leggings underneath for warmth, and spoke so softly people had to lean toward just to hear her.

However, every interaction he had with her hadn't really been positive. She wouldn't let him borrow a pencil, saying that he was just going to lose them like he had with all his other girlfriends. She wouldn't let him stand beside her in line at lunch, saying that she hardly wished to catch stupidity. She wouldn't ever even show a ray of warmth in her eyes when she spoke to him. Except, for him it was very hard to be intimidated by this nature of Rin's. The soft tone made it look as if a toddler was scolding him.

And anyway, it's not like he cared. One girl disliked him; he could live with that.

Yeah, that was a total lie.

Len pressed the doorbell with the finger of the hand that didn't contain homework, expecting a clamor of footsteps to approach the door but none did. Little lines of confusion sprouted onto his forehead and he pressed the button again, only to receive the exact same result. Silence, and the feeling that maybe he got the wrong address. He dived his free hand into his pocket and fished out the small piece of paper the teacher had given him at school with Rin's address. No one lived in her neighborhood, and his was the closest so it was decided (by Len himself, mind you) he would deliver the assignments Rin missed during her days of being bedridden due to an intense fever.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He peered up at the house. The windows' doors in the left side of the house began to rattle, and they opened, revealing a girl clad in a sweater, sickly flushed face and all. Rin. She glanced down at Len, and even at this not-so vantage distance he could tell her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"What do you want?" Her voice was hoarse, hindering her already fruitless attempts of a rude tone. His smirk deepened a dimple.

"Why, Rin. It's so good to see you, too," he simpered. He squinted up at her. The sunlight that beamed down backlit her, making her look like she was some kind of an angel with messy hair tied back from the forehead and a voice resembling a grandmother's. "I'm just here to give you homework." He held up the stack of homework to show her.

"Come in. The door's unlocked." And with that, she shut her windows and drew her curtains back once again.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The moment Len stepped into the home of Rin Kagamine, he inhaled a waft of vanilla that he could only presume that was why Rin always smelled like that. She practically resided in a gingerbread house. Most girls' homes he, ahem, "visited", typically smelled something like roses or some other sickening and sultry scent. But here, it was quite innocent and reminded him of the bakery he used to visit when he was little just to browse the desserts. And he loved that.

It had been a while since he even acknowledged the soft scent of vanilla.

He crossed over the carpeted floors, happening to catch glances of framed prints on the walls. In all of the photos, Rin was smiling a sweet smile that reached her eyes and that was not once directed towards him. He felt his stomach drop a bit, but retained his composure in seconds.

The interior was extremely beautiful, exquisite but comfortable and clearly designed by someone who knew very well of what they were doing. The sun cast afternoon light past the windows of the hall and caused the wooden staircase to glow. Porcelain bowls and fancy tableware lay in a wardrobe that had windows for anyone to peer in and see. A grandfather clock stood beside it, ticking as always. White couches sat across from each other, along with an orange papasan chair nearby where Rin probably relaxed. A circular, clear table had a vase with blooming blossoms. Len was enchanted by the beauty of it all. Golden records were framed along the wall in a neat order according to date. A shiny, well-polished black piano was in another corner. It was perhaps on principle that Rin's parents chose the best; not to mention, they could afford it, after all. They were big-time producers in the music industry.

Len moved on top of the steps of the staircase, the wood under his socked feet (he had left his shoes at the door) creaking. When he made it upstairs, he found three bedrooms. One was the parents', the other possibly belonging to a sibling, and one being Rin's judging by the fact it was the only one whose door was slightly ajar and had a sign that read the girl's name.

God, he should be a detective. Then he entered, and saw that Rin had transformed into a pretzel.

"What the—" Len almost dropped the papers.

"Scorpion pose," replied Rin, though sounding somewhat bemused by his reaction, and gradually with careful precision she slowly returned to a more recognizable shape. Eventually, she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, picking at invisible lints on her sweater, her expression unreadable. "What? Did I scare you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Tch. Me? No. It was just a creepy sight. Pretty cool, too, though." He turned to the focus at hand and juggled the many papers of assignments. "Here's the work you missed."

"Leave it on my desk." She lifted herself up and crossed over to her bed, panda slippers padding across the wooden floor of her bedroom. "I can do them later."

He stood at the doorway for a moment, and Rin had long since slipped back under the duvet of her bed when she asked him if he was going to leave. He said no.

"Why?" It was punctuated with a sniffle, and she reached over to her nightstand for a tissue, dabbing at her nose.

"Because," he drawled, pulling a chair from her desk and sinking in to it backwards to rest his chin and fingers on the surface of the spine. "I wanna know why you hate me. I mean, how can anyone hate me? I'm like, the definition of perfection."

"Pfft," an eye roll, "more like the definition of narcissism. That's why."

Len's lips puckered into a pout, and inwardly cheered when he caught the flare of redness on her cheeks. "I'm not leaving until you like me."

She glowered at him, arms crossed over her chest defensively. "You can't just force liking someone. That's not how it works, O Wise One." Len heaved a sigh, like this was all to much for him, and stayed put in the chair.

He didn't really understand why he was so persistent to make her like him. Well. He had an idea. Yes, he was interested in her, but in a different way. He didn't want to get in her pants or anything; being her friend would be nice. She looked nice and she never really picked a fight with any of her friends. Not to mention, she wasn't overly fake.

Although it would also be nice to be in an actual romantic relationship with her, he considered. Len glanced over at her. Cold, merciless eyes, only directed toward him and nobody else.

"Want anything to eat?" Len suddenly suggested.

"You're going to bribe me with food?" Her blonde eyebrows pinched together.

(Isn't that the secret to a girl's heart, though?)

"I dunno. I'm just asking; are you hungry or something?"

"I'd prefer it that you just leave my house or else I'll call the authorities." She sneezed, and once again she took another tissue. It was hard to take her seriously with those panda slippers at the bottom of the bed and the many stuffed animals surrounding her. Oh yeah, and the fact that her bed had a canopy that a princess would have. What a child. She killed him, that girl.

But, he realized, she hadn't even called the police or anything. That meant she didn't really think of him as much of a threat than she was making it sound.

"I'm getting you ramen," he decided as he slid off the chair. "I'm just gonna assume there's a box full of them in the closet of your kitchen, judging by the fact there's empty ramen noodle cups in your trashcan."

"Don't waste your time, Len. I'm still not going to like you."

He turned, just as he was at the door. Rin just aroused mischief in him. Cerulean eyes twinkling, he said, "Oh, but you will. You're going to love me."

"I'm pretty sure you've impregnated at least ten girls at the school. Real appealing, you idiot." Sarcasm dripped off her words, acidic and would probably sputter if dropped onto the ground.

"Ain't no condoms in my wallet, girl, those are ramen flavor packets," he called over his shoulder loudly as he headed down the staircase. He could have sworn she laughed, and that lit a spark in him.

One that he didn't even know had gone out.

-.-.-.-.-.-

A white vapor of steam rose from the kettle's spout, whistling to indicate that the water was hot. Carefully, he poured the water into the cup of ramen. He couldn't believe he was going this far to impress her and all. He snapped the disposable chopsticks so they were separated, and then placed the items on the tray to deliver to his patient. Her kitchen was easy to navigate through, anyway.

Oh, Rin. Just love Len already.

Although, he had to admit, it felt good to treat Rin.

He felt funny inside.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Here." He placed the tray on her nightstand, and it landed with a soft clatter. "Like me yet?" She seemed to smile for a half-second, but her lips immediately returned to a scowl.

She shook her head, any thoughts or consideration that Len was a nice guy erased as though her mind was an Etch-a-Sketch."No."

"Man, you play hard to get, huh?"

"No," she responded, pulling her sleeves past her fingertips to wrap her hands around the ramen cup without burning herself. She blew at it, dipping a finger at the soup to check for temperature, and then sank the chopsticks in to begin eating her meal. "I just don't like you, that's all." When she noticed him staring, she sighed and added, "Thanks for the ramen."

"I'm touched." He smiled. "This is the beginning of a very beautiful romance, wouldn't you agree?"

Rin became expressionless. Slowly, she set down the ramen cup along with the utensils. Then, she roughly raised an arm up to slap a hand across that face of his.

In a flash, he caught Rin's hand, along with her off guard. She froze. Both fell silent. He held her hand—it felt incredibly soft and warm from the fever—turning it this way and that, examining them before stretching out her fingers to intertwine them with his own. A flush spread over her face, not one from the fever. He even felt hotness rising to his face. Yet, he didn't stop. Len's fingers braided through hers, and it was just weird how it felt. As dreadfully cheesy as it sounded, it was like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly. Her eyes no longer held a dead, guarded look. In its place were a pair of eyes, on the fence of whether to sink into this situation. But he didn't smirk at that like he normally would.

She was scared. The moment he even heard an intake of breath from her as she began to protest, he softly hushed her and leaned his forehead against hers to bask in the particular vanilla scent.

And smoothly, Len leaned forward on impulse...

And drew her into his kiss.

Her lips were hot. But they were also very soft and seemed to melt against his. Seconds into the kiss, he climbed onto the bed and brought her close, hands pressing into her back, and she gradually returned said kiss, her eyes closing like his did. It felt... amazing?

A sensation that he hadn't quite felt like before; yes, while other kisses had been great and all but this one felt like a fiery feeling was spreading all over his body, and he just needed more of it. He had began to nibble on her lower lip when she abruptly shoved him away.

Her lips were somewhat swollen, and she touched them momentarily before saying with wide eyes, "Y-You...?! You kissed me!"

Len blinked, startled as though it had been she who had initiated the kiss. Then, the realization knocked into him like a load of bricks. "...Oh."

"Oh?! That's all you can say?!" she asked, face still pink.

"Well, it felt right!" Len defended, raising his arms. "And anyway, you kissed me back."

"That's because...!" Her voice faded away. Then, her eyes flew over at everything but him, trying to avoid looking at him. "Regardless, it's not like we can be together or anything, idiot. Len, we're like fire and ice—do you realize what happens when those two elements meet?" Rin demanded, perpetually wintry eyes gazing at him. Impatience burned in them.

He stared back at her for a moment before a particularly mischievous expression took over on his face, smirked lips parting to reply. "...Steam?"

Rin blushed, but then regained her strength and shouted, "A puddle! Len, you... you're literally the number one playboy of the whole school! What makes you think I'll consider you?"

He twisted his lips, wincing. He tapped his fingers together, and what he admitted next practically shattered all his pride. "Well, Rin, I'm like the Virgin Mary sitting in your room. I haven't actually... you know."

"How do I know you're not just toying with me, huh?" Her voice was low, tentative. Her hands were curled into fists, and they lay twitching by her sides. Len narrowed his eyes.

"Woman, I made you ramen!" he yelled frustratedly. Pressing his lips tightly together, then parting them to push on, "With a kettle for the soup instead of sink water! If I was toying with you, I would have hauled myself out of your house long time ago. I don't waste time on people for nothing, Rin. I've actually freaking fantasized about dating you and spending time with you and all that weird creepy junk. I like you. You're... You're... You're..."

Special.

Wonderful.

Spectacular.

"Different?" Rin pressed, rising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You... You a'ight..." Red flooded over his face, and his lips twitched, threatening to smile nervously. He may have regained his voice, but he didn't exactly regain appropriate diction.

"Well..." Rin glanced at the ramen. She glanced at the homework, too. Then she looked back at him. She leaned forward, her hot breath tickling his skin and only reddening his face even further. With a small smile, she raised a hand and flicked his forehead lightly. She had smiled at him. "You "a'ight", too."

sometimes i have ideas i should keep inside my head where no one can see them, but sometimes i feel like those ideas should be released. anyway, i needed a place to upload said silly ideas, and so comes this unrelated series of oneshots collection yeHA~

the "you a'ight" thing was kinda inspired from how Shang from Mulan was unable to say anything very romantic like other disney princes, only managing to say, "you fight good." Neither is grammatically correct, but it's the thought that counts. and anyway, mulan is my most favorite disney thing - like ever, so.