It was a quaint little shop that stood just beyond the outskirts of the mall, ready to serve any child who might run by or an elderly woman who needed someplace to rest for the late lunch. The premise hadn't left the place for as long as Len could remember, and an image of him and Rin entering the store for the first time in their lives distantly popped into his head.

He recognised that dilapidated and rusty sign to which misfortune always had a knack for being punctual in terms of painting a new layer of coat anywhere, standing out in all its old and gross glory in the renovated shop.

Rinto was the first to get inside—what with running too much to be not be called suspicious in Len's cranky opinion, the latter thinking that the boy seriously needed to give his bladder a break—followed by Rin, whom Rinto had ushered to be beside him at all times. And where was Len in all this?

Just tramping slowly behind on purpose, why do you ask?

Right, because nobody cared what Len thinks—when was his presence ever acknowledged when Rinto's around? It's always Rinto this, and then Rinto that. And when someone does finally notice him, everybody else does too all at once! (Proof of that was his momentary La La Land moment with the clerk before Rin suddenly put the lady off.)

He was thrown into absolute redemption and rejection by his sister—weird, right? Like…just…

Len kicked a nearby rock, pissed off. He watched it roll its way to a stop until he pushed open the store door with his shoulder grumpily. The first sight that caught him also captured him into a gaze-lock; it was the shop owner—and their teen-hood friend, Kaito.

He was older than the both of them, being thirty-four: He had bleached his hair blue when, according to Len's information that grew rusty over the years, he was younger and wilder. It still retained its same shade, even after so long—he could remember the first time they met, Rin had tried to take his hair off, believing it had been a cosplay wig—and ever since it became his signature look. He was married to this brunette whom Len only met on Wednesdays whenever he and Rin passed by.

Kaito was cleaning cups behind the counter, and only moved his eyes away from Len when Rin said, "What's new with you, Kait-ooo?"

"Got Luxury Chocolate restocked and Cream Toffee up for grabs, Rinny!" Kaito was chuckling, putting an ice cream glass down. When Rinto turned to him, he added, "I meant your mother. Heya stranger!"

He was addressing Len, who plopped down on the chair nearest them. Rinto was leaning against the glass, musing about Kaito's new stock of frozen sweets. Len just lazily watched them. Rinto was nagging Rin about something, and then Rin stopped in mid-sentence, seeing how dreadful Len was still feeling. She told Kaito and her son something Len didn't have too much care about hearing in on, and then, afterwards, she surprisingly pulled a seat and sat next to her brooding brother.

"How's it, Bro?" she piped up cheerfully, her sunny radiance rendered unaffected to Len's dark aura. Len frowned.

"Great."

He didn't want to be affected by her high spirits—because he, for one, didn't want his hopes to get so high up when they're just going to be shot down by somebody that much more easily—so he shifted his gaze to the large windows.

Len heard Rin sigh.

"C'mon—'ve we switched roles?" she said. "It used to be you who'd be on the knees begging me to cheer up."

"…I don't see you on the floor yet," Len remarked. Rin might'n't've realised that he said it without really thinking out a dirty meaning, because she shoved the table on his chest with force so powerful it made you doubt that she really was a woman—Len doubled over, coughing out his pain. He hugged his figure excruciatingly. "D-dammit, Rin!"

"Serves you right…" Rin muttered sinisterly. Len pulled himself back up the chair, his mind full of revenge brews. Can that girl push a table or what? As he supported himself back up his seat, he felt something tug on his shirt: It was Rinto, innocent-looking and masking a curiosity Len just couldn't define. He appeared to want to ask something of him.

Perhaps he had gotten on the wrong foot with him, right? Len thought bitterly, suddenly seeing a child-Rin in front of him, deluded by the uncanny resemblance. "Uncle Lenny—ain't you at Mummy's wedding?"

An over-quenching guilt gripped his heart, dragging his soul and mind down to lag him from thinking properly. Whatshouldhesay? He couldn't just—not in front of Rin! Even though he was facing Rinto, he was mostly focusing on the corner of his eye, where he could see a quarter of the most horrible view. Something even worse than a pissed Rin: A sad one.

"Erm. Yeah—I was the, y'know—the Best Man. Yo, Kyte—get me some Banana Choc Chip over here!" Skipping the subject with something Rinto could be evidently interested in was freaking genius…if only it worked.

Rinto furrowed his brows, scrunched up his face, and then cupped his hand over Len's ear, surprising the latter by whispering, "D'you know who my daddy is?"

"Uh—"

"RINTO!—I-I bet you can't finish this free orange sorbet in five minutes!"

Thank God for Kaito: He lured Rinto out of Len's precarious sitch—remind him to give him a tip. The child instantaneously skipped from where Len was and to Kaito's counter.

Len sighed, and then he instinctively turned to Rin, whose face was practically saying "thank you." He furrowed his brows, not at her, but because something still didn't make sense. He lowered his voice so Rinto wouldn't hear, "Mind if you tell me what that bastard did to you?"

The moment Rin's face darkened—again—Len added hastily under his breath, "I meant Mike."

Immediately, her expression softened to an astounding rate, and she lowered her head to hide her dismay, murmuring, "Oh—right."

It was like the fire in her eyes ran out of gas to burn; the sun setting in the blue sky and the moon rising, casting shadows everywhere in her once so bright face. Len extended his hand underneath the table to entwine his fingers with hers: The gesture didn't set Rin aback, though she welcomed it nonchalantly.

He just wanted to help…This was like her third break-up this year. It mustn't be that hard for her: She's supposed to be used to it. Len shouldn't say it aloud, but he assumed it to be true—he may have lacked the charm to ensnare the ladies into infatuation, although he was far from an insensitive asshole, too.

The both of them exchanged their own generous warmth—Len's was reassuring and understanding, and Rin's was a distressed and hopeless one: Words weren't needed for now.

Finally, Rin spoke, but her voice was hoarse, "In case you're wondering, I already hit him, okay."

"I think he deserves a little lesser than your touch," mumbled Len. Rin giggled. "'Sides, I'm stronger."

"My punches still hurt, y'know."

"But I'm not asking whether or not you hit his sorry ass," Len said a little more harshly than he intended to. He felt Rin flinch by the aggression he forced himself to inflect in his voice, so he rubbed his thumb on her palm soothingly. "Please, Rin—I just—I'm sorry if I'm being a bit too rough…I wouldn't know, really—I'm just your stupid, dorky brother…"

He should just say it straight—he's worried about her. No words could possibly depict what he so desperately want her to know…That no man that walked the earth deserved to be with her, had no right to claim her his, too below her league to be rewarded of her love, too…too…!

Ugh—it's easier thought than said, and easier said than done.

Rin hiccupped, letting out a strained laugh. "Damn right you are. Who knew mumming could be so hard?"

Len didn't say anything to contradict that. He just stared at the floor, contemplating his options.

"…He didn't like the idea of fathering Rinto."

It was said in such a rush that Len barely caught the words. He only looked up in time to see Rin's eyes sparkle with tears.

"I'm…he's being stupid—that jerk…All he ever cares about is—augh." Rin, frustrated, massaged her temples with her fingers to clear her mind. "He didn't want to let Rinto be a part of our relationship…It's a bad idea, he said." She smiled wryly, not exactly comforting a definitely worried Len. "'That kid's driving me insane'—'when can I hump you?'—'think about me for a change'—'another one of that family crap again?'—he's so annoying!"

Len, who had been fixated and stuck in the time of the second statement before all the rest warped into themselves and was completely deluded by the half of his brain, swirling with concentration and distractions equally, which was full of brews on how to distract his other half, only frowned. Rin caught his keen gaze and she added knowingly, "No—he hasn't knocked me up, okay?"

That relieved Len a little. "So who called it? You?"

Rin squared her shoulders tensely. "He did first—but more accidentally. Then I gave him a yelling session—idiot couldn't help but shout back—and we were off. I packed my stuff—he was trailing behind me like a ticked puppy—and carried Rinto to my car."

"That's bull—" Len stopped himself in the middle of the word, almost forgetting about Rinto being at the counter. He lowered his voice and whispered to Rin, "bullshit! This is real dangerous Rin. I don't want—can you just give up hooking up with different assholes—you could raise Rinto by yourself—I could help—"

To his astonishment, Rin shook her head, forcing a smile. "It isn't that easy, Len."

Just as Len was about to concur to that, Rinto panned into view as he shook his mother's legs, apparently wanting for her attention.

"I still want Orange Tiger, Mummy!" he chirped.

Rin's look of surprise warped into a heartfelt affection. She ran her fingers through his messed-up hair. "Sure, Sport."

Rinto exclaimed in victory, and dragged her to the counter. Len sighed and hung his head, grumbling. Just when...Does this seriously just have to happen? He cursed his rotten luck.

Anger that burst into tiny flames of vengeance dispersed into nothing but hot gas, his aggression's lava solidifying.

He didn't realise what the other three were talking about, though one thing's for sure, it's related to Rinto listening in on their convo. The little tyke came up to him, handing out his Banana Chocolate Chip. "Oh, thanks."

Rinto scrunched up his face again, and he looked pointedly at Len, who by the second was feeling regretful of something he didn't even know. Damn—he's even inherited Rin's look. "Why didn't Mummy marry you?"

…Say that again, Rinto. "What."

Len didn't see that one coming. At. All. Then again, he's five: He shouldn't understand these things yet. Must Len even enlighten him…? Another look at those inquisitive eyes, and he found himself imagining it to be, not Rinto, but Rin. A sharp pain went through his head.

He looked at Rin, who he knew was watching: She shrugged at Len, laying on the glass the money she owed Kaito, the latter writing something on Rin's tab, smiling. Len's on his own on this one. (That's sort of a tongue-twister…)

Len only replied, "Because we don't love each other that way."

He thought it satisfied Rinto's question, but the kid just folded his arms in deep thought. "Don't you love Mummy?"

"Y-yeah, I do." Len didn't know how Rinto could be so difficult. "But we're twins. Blood-related. It's sort of against the rules."

"What rules?"

Len didn't answer that, because Rinto piped up again just as smoothly, "What's breaking the rules, loving Mummy 'that way' or marrying her?"

For the first time in Len's life, he couldn't answer a question. It was a deadpan. Arithmetic—Physiology—Latin—Physics—all he'd been taught by the best professors in the country. He already unlocked the mystery of 'Girls,' the biggest wonder ever. But a single question brought up by his five-year-old nephew pushed him up the wall.

He had a lot to say about this—Theology—Religion—Beliefs—Laws—but none of them could ever be understood by a child. Were they just truths that were even to him blinding?

He heaved a breath he didn't know how long he kept in, and said sourly, yet beaming at Rinto, "Sorry, Rinny. I just don't know."

…

YellowFluffiesForever, Yukisu, Little Kagamine Love and RukaKurokawa: I appreciate all your feedback! Thanks a lot! Kept me going (PRETENDTHISISAHEART) Here's Frederick's Best Ice Cream! XD All yours, guys. Thanks for giving this story a chance.

The ice cream flaves were actually from Frederick's Ice Cream XD Len was the best man in Rin's wedding! What's up next? ...Read to find out