What a sucky birthday.
Rin falls face first into her mattress, crumpling the yellow bedspread under her hands and cursing into the material. So much for a fun, happy birthday, right? She'd been so excited, too... Rin had planned it all out, intent on making her sixteenth birthday her best one yet.
Hah, it hadn't matched her expectations at all.
The morning has started out just fine. She'd woken up (of course her birthday fell on a weekday, so she still had school), and her mom was waiting for her downstairs with fresh orange pancakes. It was a bright start to a progressively downhill day. Rin sighs, remembering.
Not long after she'd arrived at school, things started going wrong. She'd flunked a test, and at lunch, some kid bumped into her and got her brand new yellow shirt covered in ketchup, which meant walking around with a very obvious red stain right under her chest. Later, she'd accidentally tripped on her way to class, and her books had gone flying down the stairs.
At that point, her mood was incredibly soured, though she tried holding on to the hope of things turning for the better. Unfortunately, she'd even lashed out at Len, her best friend of many years. Funny enough, he shares the same birthday as she does, and he constantly makes jokes about it.
"Just you watch, you and I are twins separated at birth!" he would say with a laugh. Of course, Rin doesn't find that nearly as funny as he does, because it's scary how accurate it seems. She does share his looks, after all; short cornsilk hair, ocean blue eyes which only differ by a single shade. They're even the same height. The only glaringly obvious difference between them is their stance on which fruit is better, bananas or oranges.
Rin hadn't meant to snap at him, but she was so frustrated that when he had appeared, it found an outlet. Len had walked up, all smiley and cheerful, and started in with one of his favorite lines and a cheesy birthday greeting, and her irritation had flared. She can't even remember what he said, only that when she had uttered a sharp 'Oh, shut up already!', he had looked painfully shocked and hurt.
She'd beat a hasty retreat right after that, feeling even worse and wanting to put as much distance between herself and him as she could before she made another mistake. Thanks to her own depressed outlook, she'd accidentally dumped it onto Len and put a damper on his own birthday. Good going, Rin.
Luckily, she didn't run into him again after that, and Rin had managed to get through the rest of her time at school without further incident.
That wasn't the end to her mishaps, though. When she got home, her mother was incredibly apologetic. Apparently, she had picked up Rin's birthday cake (specially made with an edible picture of Yuuya Amane from Nukoduke), but no more than a few feet out the door, she had lost her grip on it, and her beautiful cake smeared across the pavement. Apparently another would be made, but it would take another day or two, which meant putting off her party. (Her mother offered to remake it by hand, but Rin knows her well enough to be aware that the house may burn down along with the cake. Her one and only specialty is pancakes.)
At the rate this is going, my luck will be so bad that there'll be no point at all to blowing out the candle for my birthday and making my wish. Rin sighs, flipping over to glare mercilessly at her star patterned ceiling. Back when her dad was still around, he had decorated it for her, creating an endless sea of glow-in-the-dark stars over black-blue paint, bringing the illusion of the night sky into her bedroom. "It'll help your wishes come true," he had told her, smiling brightly and trying his best to raise her hopes far higher than they should be.
Rin runs a slim hand through her gold strands. Of course, it didn't really help. At least, it hadn't so far. For years, ever since then, she's decided that each opportunity she gets, she'll attempt one single wish and stick to it until it comes true. If she wishes for too much, nothing would come true, and the same goes for wishing for nothing at all. So one would be fine, right?
...Even still, said wish hasn't come true yet, and she's beginning to wonder if it ever will. The one wish she's held on to since childhood.
"I wish to meet and be with my other half."
It may seem like a stupid wish to anyone else, but to Rin it means the world. She doesn't necessarily want the romance end of it, even- she just wants that person nearby. Whoever they might be, she wants to meet the person she's fated to be tied to forever. Rin has always wanted to see how similar they are to her, what they look like, what they like and dislike. It grew from a childish whim to an actual personal desire.
It's really stupid to wish for something like that, anyway, Rin thinks, her negative mood affecting her thoughts. It's not like that's how reality works. Who said perfect other halves existed, anyway? So dumb...
Someone knocking at her bedroom door makes her groan in disgust. "Go away," She mumbles into her pillow, refusing to move. Leave me to mope this birthday away...
Whoever it is ignores her disgruntled words and opens the door anyway, and when they sit on the bed next to her, she becomes aware of their identity.
"Hey, Rin... How are you?"
"What do you want, Len?" Rin asks him, her dark mood making her words far sharper than she wants, turning her head to gaze at him across her arm. Her best friend is solemnly beside her, frowning, his hands clasped at his sides.
"I'm here to cheer you up," Len says, his smooth voice light with enthusiasm.
"No thanks." With that, she buries her face into the covers once more.
"Really? You're just going to waste away your birthday feeling sorry for yourself, cause some minor things went wrong?"
Yes. "Shut up, Len," Rin growls at him. "It's not any of your b- aah!"
She shrieks when she feels his hands dive at her sides, his fingers mercilessly prodding her skin in a surprise offensive action. Rin curses audibly among her fit of giggles, forced to turn around by his tickling.
"Len- ahahaha, stop it, I'm literally- ahaa, hahaha- going to murder you-!" Finally, she ends up kneeing him right in the chest, effectively making Len withdraw his hands as he gasps for air.
"Oww!" he manages, frowning at Rin, who sits up and glares back at him.
"What the hell, Len? Seriously? Tickling me is not going to cheer me up!" Rin growls. Okay, well, maybe that's a partial lie. Len always manages to brighten her day, no matter how irritating he can get or what he chooses to use on her to do so. Though, tickling, of all things?
Len, recovering rather quickly- this isn't the first time he's sustained injury at her hands, she recalls with slight regret- continues grimacing at her, before a small, sneaky smirk lights up his expression.
"Okay... fine. Then what about this?" He reaches down by the foot of her bed and retrieves something, and before Rin has to crane her head around him to catch a glimpse, he presents it to her.
A large cupcake is cupped in both his hands, frosted in a mixture of yellow and orange icing and decorated with two small, unlit white candles.
"Sorry I'm no match for Yuuya Amane," Len says teasingly as she looks at him in askance. "But I figure some cake is better than nothing, right? I wanted to blow out my candles with you, like we always do."
In the midst of her self-pity wallowing, Rin had completely spaced the fact that she was supposed to make a wish with Len again this year. It's become a bit of a tradition between them- two candles, two wishes. It's been like this for years. Could I have really forgotten something like that...?
"Unless you're too mopey to celebrate our birthday," Len says pointedly, and Rin grimaces.
"...Sorry, Len. About earlier, too," she mumbles the words, the apology slightly stiff but sincere.
Len shrugs it off easily. "Hey, I know it hasn't been an easy day for you. I just want to see you smile and enjoy the rest of it," he tells her brightly, and Rin blushes in response.
"O-okay. Well, then want to make the wish now?" Rin asks him, and Len nods quickly.
He reaches into his pocket and fumbles around a moment, before taking out his favorite orange lighter. Expertly setting the candles aflame, he replaces the lighter and smiles at her.
"On the count of three?" Len offers, holding the cupcake between them.
"Yeah. One," Rin starts off, glancing at the flickering spark on her candle and at Len's face.
"Two," Len follows up, meeting her gaze and widening his grin, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Three!" At the same time, the blondes lean in and blow out the flickering lights, the smell of the burning wax wafting everywhere. For some reason, Rin laughs. In a weird way, doing this little activity with Len is soothing, making her feel better even though it's nothing more than a silly tradition.
Len seems pleased with her reaction. "So? Did you make your wish?" he asks her eagerly.
She nods, though her own smile fades a bit. Despite herself, she still chose that same wish. "Yeah, I did."
"Hey, Rin?" Len looks at her curiously. "Could you tell me what it is?"
"What what is?" Rin says blankly.
"Your birthday wish. What did you wish for this year?"
Rin's cheeks flush. "H-hey, I'm not supposed to tell!" she says indignantly. "It won't come true!"
"C'mon, Rinny," Len whines, using her dreaded nickname for added measure. "You've kept it a secret forever, and I'm your best friend! It's not like I'll randomly start telling people. You know I keep your secrets safe." Unbridled curiosity laces his voice.
Rin is about to protest some more, but then stops. "...Yeah, okay. It's not like it's going to come true anyway," Rin says in defeat. Len's expression changes into confusion at that, and she explains.
"I wish for the same thing every year," Rin says, her chest tightening. She's never told anyone but her father about her one wish. It's a very personal thing to her, but... Telling Len doesn't seem to matter so much.
"...What is it?" Len asks hesitantly, still curious but a bit more reserved, tentative.
"To... um..." Her cheeks are burning. "To meet m-my... other half." Scratch what she said earlier. It does matter. It hadn't crossed her mind just how embarrassing that kind of thing would feel, being revealed.
"Your other half?" Len tilts his head. "What do you...?"
Rin wants to facepalm, but restrains herself. "You know... that special other person you're meant to spend your whole life with?" she clarifies.
Understanding and realization hit Len then, and his eyes widen. "Y-you wished for that?!" He nearly chokes.
Rin makes a face at him, feeling shy and increasingly more uncomfortable. "Yeah, what about it?" She says pointedly. "And what did you wish for? Now that I've told you mine, you have no choice but to tell me yours, too." Rin feels mildly childish putting it that way, momentarily regretting the words.
Len's cheeks color a bit, surprisingly. "A-actually... I, um..."
"What?" Rin says, narrowing her eyes.
"My wish is... almost exactly like yours." Len coughs nervously, glancing at her face and then somewhere to the right.
A pause as Rin absorbs this new information. "...Seriously?"
"Y-yeah. Funny, huh?" Len chuckles half-heartedly, his line of sight flitting back to her quickly.
Rin laughs as well, but it's more out of astonishment. "Huh... I guess we're both more similar than I thought," Rin says with amazement. "I didn't know that you would have that kind of wish..." Her tone turns thoughtful.
Len seems to redden even more. "Hey, a guy is allowed to have some romantic thoughts!" Len protests hotly, turning slightly defensive. "It's not that weird, alright?!"
When Rin laughs again, he looks increasingly annoyed, until she speaks up in a softer tone. "...You're right, it really isn't," she notes. "So... I'll wish you luck, then."
"What?" The blonde boy blinks, taken off guard.
"For your wish. I hope that yours and mine manage to come true." Rin smiles at him gently. "I hope we both find our other halves."
A mixture of happiness and pain flickers across his face, before he returns her smile. "Ah... yeah. I wish you luck too. Hopefully we find them really soon, right?" Len says cheerfully, gazing at her and brightening. "Never mind- I know we will. Maybe we already found them," he adds, his blue eyes becoming more intense on her and causing an unreasonable blush to flood her cheeks.
"Ah! That reminds me. Here, leave this here for a minute," Len says, taking the cupcake and setting it over on her bedside table, then gripping her hand warmly in his. "Come with me downstairs."
"Huh? Why-?" Rin says, confused, as he drags her off her bed and out of the room.
"I forgot about something. Hurry up," he commands, forcefully pulling her along.
Rin glances down at his hand, wrapped tightly around hers, and something light and hopeful rushes through her, different but not unpleasant. She's held hands with Len before, but for some reason, this time feels different- like something changed.
Len practically races her downstairs, slowing down at the bottom and turning into her darkened living room. When he suddenly flicks on the nearby switch, the entire room brightens, and Rin gasps as noise fills her ears.
"Happy birthday~!" Her and Len's combined friends cheer, streamers flying everywhere. Miku, Kaito, Gumi and the rest are all in the room, smiling wide at the two blondes. Behind them, Rin can see what looks like a homemade cake decorated in the same orange and yellow icing as the cupcake Len had brought her.
After she recovers from her initial shock and her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, she turns to Len, who's already looking her way and smirking.
"Len-? Did you plan this?" Rin asks him, awed.
Len chuckles, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed pride written all over his expression. "Yeah. I thought maybe to cheer you up, having all our friends around to celebrate would help, since your party kind of busted. I made a deal with Miku so she'd make you a cool cake- though it doesn't have that guy's face on it anymore, it's got frosting oranges and bananas. Um... even if your birthday isn't perfect, I hope it's better than it was." Len says sheepishly.
Rin stares at him, feeling happiness welling up. He did all of this- for her? And on his own birthday, he barely thought of himself...
She moves forward in one swift move and hugs him, throwing off his balance and drawing a surprised exhale from Len. She spaces their friend's presence, happily holding onto her best friend.
"Thank you so much, Len."
Previously frozen, Len melts and hugs her back gently. "Hey, no problem," he says, though she hears something tinge his voice. "And um... Rin?"
"Hm?"
He moves his head down and whispers in her ear, and her eyes widen, blood flooding into her cheeks with confused elation.
"Happy birthday... to my other half."
A/N: I'm a bit early, but...
Unbeta'd and very cheesy, here's the one and only, legendary, widely spoken about birthday fic I promised! I really hope you enjoyed it!
I'd like to say a little something. You see, almost exactly one year ago today, I found my love for the Kagamines. I stumbled across Adolescence, Paradichlorobenzene/Antichlorobenzene, and Alluring Secret ~Black Vow~, and that was what tugged me into the sweet and wonderful world of the wonderful Yellowloids, and I have not regretted it for one moment.
I'm thankful every day that I got to know them and lived their stories. I listen to their music each day, and they have become my number one OTP. Without them, I don't know how I would've got through the year, which has been one of my toughest yet.
Rin and Len, thank you for existing and cheering my world with your beautiful voices. Happy Birthday, Kagamines. I plan to be with you for another year- and many more. RinXLen, forever and always.
Thank you so much for reading, whether you're new to my work or have been around since my very first one in the fandom! (i.e, 'Impossibility'.) I've improved and I hope to write a lot more stories about my favorite mirror images in the future!
May the Kagamine Revolution reign! :3
Thanks, and I'll see you around, ne?
Read on~!
~Disclaimer~ I own only a fondness for Yuuya Amane, hidden confessions and an obsession with young blondes. I only wish I had Rin and Len in my grasp- along with their fabulous, melodic voices. ;_;