A baby is glaring him down, and he's doing everything he can to return the same amount of fierceness within his own gleam.
He hasn't heard her laugh once. As much as he wouldn't like to admit it, that little fact is driving him insane.
So he sets to work.
Rin is soaking up in the tub, he'd finished this week's assignments, there's food ready on the cylinder stove, the only thing left to do for the day is put Kagamine Mirai to sleep, which he never has to do because this little girl prefers being caressed into her dreams with her mother's arms rather than anybody else's.
Following the next few hours, for the lesser part, he's got to entertain his grumbling daughter who seemed less than happy to be in his presence.
She doesn't wail like she's being pierced through the chest whenever he picks her up anymore, but she's not exactly comfortable with it either.
He'd be lying if he said coming to terms with that didn't hurt even by the slightest bit.
His fingers push up the small bundle's cotton pyjamas above her stomach, exposing the soft, smooth, baby milk skin ー and he latched his lips above her belly button to blow the loudest sound of flatulence ever made, in goes she would do anything more than merely squirm.
This came after many former efforts.
He'd tried pulling her cheeks apart, tried peek-a-boo no matter how much it embarrassed him, tried to tickle between her toes, then her heels, then her legs... but there isn't even an enthusiastic babble in response. The most expressive thing he ever sees that excludes screaming out her lungs is when the small light in those eyes begins to flicker the instant her mother makes an entrance into the room.
Except Rin's not here right now, so this baby has no choice but to be satisfied with him.
He blew and blew, nearly out of breath. When he resurfaces, he only meets Mirai's bright, blue eyes, blinking irritatingly at him.
She shoves one of her hands into her mouth, drenching the mitten in saliva and unswallowed milk, while he can do nothing but frown.
Len wonders if it really is hard to make just one, little smile, even if it doesn't stretch the corners of those lips to her ears.
He doesn't know how many more attempts he can bare to make before giving up completely.
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He hates grocery duty.
He's the only one who ever does grocery duty.
He's well aware that Rin can't help. Not when she has to look after other issues at home but that doesn't change the fact that carrying two packs of diapers in one bag and three others (with various supplies) over his shoulder is less than ideal, especially when he has to carry it through a train ride alone.
It's already his fifth trip here, and as far as he knows, it doesn't get any better.
There are too many new year deals for him to count, mandarins and apples sold for cheap, sparklers at the other end of the building.
He was in the middle of loading some vegetable biscuits in his basket when the sight of baby clothes in the next aisle caught his eye. Soon enough, it took his legs, too.
He fingered a pretty blue number, felt how soft the cotton ran beneath his fingertips, the elegant puff of frills for a skirt, and in a momentary flash of impulss, nearly shoved it into the basket along with the hanger. It was just her size, the age written on the tag proved it. The exact same shade as the perfect dark blues of her eyes.
The jingle of coins from his pocket held him back.
A small glimmer of hope made him dig out his wallet and check if there was enough ー which there was, but then, he wouldn't be able to afford the train ticket back to where she would definitely be waiting. The young man forced the outfit back onto the rack, forcing himself to look away
That's right.
He mustn't get carried away. He's only here for the bare necessities. That's it, the bare necessities, followed by a immediate trip home..
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"I haven't slept in thirty hours."
"Go to sleep, then."
As if he could do that.
It's basically the same as telling a penniless person to get up and buy a house.
He's back from his grocery trip.
Not only does he have to make sure they have breakfast, but he has to also prepare more firewood along with many other things to do. Len scoffed audibly, garnering a responsive hiss, but the girl's attention couldn't be diverted for too long when there's a baby in the kitchen sink needing attention who had somehow gotten grasp of soap, planning to chew the dispenser between her gums.
Out of impulse, Rin snatched it out of the way and flung it across the room.
They didn't even have time to debate with each other anymore. The older blond out a groan when it clattered to the floor. The liquid contents spilt, and he already knew without any words exchanged that he's the one who has to clean it up.
This girl really never does think about the consequences of her actions.
Or maybe she doesn't when she knows it won't bother her as an individual, and not whether somebody else, namely him, has any energy to do work at all.. much less clean up any messes when she's one who created them. He set to work with wiping napkins across the floorboards soon enough.
The young man didn't say anything out loud, but she can tell from the irritated grunts beneath his breath that he's less than delighted.
"Just leave it, I'll clean it up later." Rin sighed. Her companion's response was to make a noise of disbelief, which effectively caused her to whirl around with the angry stomp of a foot. "Listen, as hard as it is for someone like you to believe, it's actually possible not to be stuck up in the arse about every little thing!'
As if he has to do even half of the things she's stuck in.
Nurse their daughter, take care of sleeping duties, change diapers, warm up emergency bottles, ease every little thing from the smallest cry to the ones that make her deaf to the ears ー even in this instance, giving the baby a bath ー yet he somehow still has the audacity to sigh like he's got it worse than anybody else in the universe.
To make matters worse, the small action of raising her voice any louder than a whisper made the baby behind her begin to wail.
And she knows what's going to happen. He'll shrug, leave the room so she can deal with it, and only come back once the house is semi-peaceful again to avoid having to deal with a crying twenty-pound baby in his arms.
Well, not anymore. She's passing the baton, whether he likes it or not. "You handle the bath today."
Len finished throwing away the napkins, quirking a single brow at her demand.
The younger blonde began to lick her lips.
She can see how his iris is already twitching. She's jumping forwards to predict what excuses he's going to pile onto her. Oh, no, he has schoolwork to catch up on, or oh nooo, she already started washing the baby so it'd be better if they didn't switch or else Mirai would be too confused!
"Sure."
"What?"
"Sure." He repeated, making his way to the sink (seeing as the size is more compatible than their significantly larger tub when it comes to washing a small body) at the same time as rolling the cuffs of his shirt up to his elbows. "Might as well."
It's not like he can get any wood at the moment when the sun isn't high enough in the sky.
She stepped aside by instinct, and he took her place without protest.
Alright, so maybe most ー if not all ー of his supposed neglect beneath this roof has been spun from the extract of her own imagination.
She's frustrated, she's tired, she's driven more to the brink than any teenage girl should ever be, and following any other nuisances, she's desperate for an outlet.
So when he's just standing there, lathering baby lotion between his palms and patting it against her daughter's cheeks without any care in the universe, you can't blame her for burning in anger.
The young lady trying to pick fights with him yet he's not responding with anything she could nit-pick on.
Since when has Kagamine Len been this complaisant... him, of all people.
It's tearing her apart, she wants to rip out her hair, bit by bit, because at least then he'd finally look at her. His arms dip into nto the warm water, securing the clog to the drain, then went to work with massaging shampoo through whatever exists of their daughter's fine hair.
Seeing as there's no reason for her to stick around when he's got matters under control, Rin doesn't react with anything more than a huff before walking off the way she came.
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It's the most pleasant afternoon they've had all winter, warm enough that there hardly was a need for their fireplace, but chilly enough that she's uncomfortable without being cuddled.
The young lady knew that this would only last until night-time came. Soon her only refuge would be the thin, ratty blanket that she still refuses to share with him, along with nursing her baby until they both fall asleep.
But right now, that wasn't anything she had to worry about. Her socks cover her up to her knees, the crimson jumper draping down to her thighs in desperate need of a wash. Rin lifted her shirt above her stomach to stare at the stretch lines, throwing subtle looks over her shoulder as if expecting the older blond to make a comment.
He didn't even glance in her general direction.
Len's more invested evening out the orange footsie that's already much too small for the baby to fit in.
There should be some of his own old clothes saved up at home.. maybe if he could slip to his father's bed and grab one of those luggages beneath it, he'd be able to find something that's just minimally comfortable, warm, and won't tear apart after a few more washes. It doesn't look like what the baby's wearing now will last long, anyhow.
His memory flashes back to that perfect blue little dress.
He shakes it out of his head, not wanting to remember those white satin sashes and ribbons on the sides. There are things you have to give up sometimes. Maturity means to accept that.
Rin's priorities, on the other hand, are more balanced on something different. His ignorance towards her is making her more upset than she'd like to admit.
"Could you fetch me a diaper?" His request stirred her out of her thoughts. "Rin. Diaper."
She drug her bag from the corner and flung it to the other side of the room where he was drying up beneath their daughter's legs, signalling for him to dig for the item himself.
If he's not going to look after her, she's not going to look after him.
The blond let out a curse when the bag slammed against the side of his head full-force. He knew her aiming, and he knew that strike was coated with every last bit of intention. He cradled his skull with one arm, the other arm occupied with wrestling a lotion bottle from their daughter's grasp.
"Wow. Thank you for handing it over so politely, I'm not sure how I could do anything without you!'
Sarcasm is tossed out the open window when she glowers darkly, effectively shutting the older blond up. An entire body structure built up yo spell defense, so he makes sure to place distance between them before she can find something to hold out on. Through luck, he doesn't have time to look at her either.
Not when the small body beneath him was an easy magnet for attention.
Len noticed Mirai release something that sounded eerily similar to a coo when he tickled the soft pads of her palms through her sleeves.
When he looks down to confirm it, he only sees his daughter's face pulled into a scowl.
He's not sure if it's intentional or not, but he hopes to god that it isn't, that her cherub face is merely plastered like that by instinct. It's difficult enough to bare resentment from one person under this roof, he can't bare to think of another.
He pulls the bag into his lap, pulling out what he was looking for, then adding a few puffs of baby powder around the infant's body before he could set to work on clothing her.
"Does she ever laugh?"
She releases a huff, replying with words that she'd hope would get a reaction out of him. "I don't want to hold a conversation with you."
It failed miserably. He wasn't affected at all, rolling his shoulders into an agreeing shrug. "Okay. You do you."
Rin's face flared red in a matter of seconds. Stupid. She doesn't know why she even tries with him anymore.
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Over thirty hours...
She's still insistent in letting the baby take up the entire futon, even when Mirai's interested in crawling to one side of the room beneath the piano stool for hours at a time. Rin finds the resemblance of her daughter to their family cat rather interesting, but she keeps the opinion to herself when she remembers she's not supposed to be speaking to him.
It won't be too difficult. She has plenty other things to focus on, especially when her daughter is asleep, like doing some of the math exercises in his book, maybe find new ways to possibly irritate him ー
He's going to sleep too, apparently.
His head fell against the wood, arms curling against his chest and beginning to lid his eyes away from the world when the sun hasn't even yet set.
She crawled over stealthily once she's sure his breathing is evened. Her hands move the bangs off his forehead, hovering closely, just to inspect every speck of freckles on his sleeping cheeks.
When she looks back towards his supposedly shut eyes, she realised they're wide open, staring back at her.
It's only when she tries to jump away from shock does she realise he's holding onto her wrists. Within a second, he flips their positions without the slightest show of effort.
Heart pounding through her ears, threatening to burst from her chest, she finds herself cornered against the floor, strong ams bracing her head and every visible escape blocked by all of his limbs.
Rin felt a protest threaten to roll off the tip of her tongue.
Her eyes glared menacingly, about to demand reason; about to question who he thought he was to treat her in such a way. But when one of the young man's hands move so he could trace a tender thumb along her bottom lip, any sense within her control sent off into the unseen dis ance, swallowing back every possible word that could've ever been spoken.
She blinks back wet tears, summoning strength to open up her gaze.
She's surprised to find him looking back, almost with what she could've seen as tenderly.
He brushes her hair away from her face to leave a single kiss across her temple.
She finds herself frozen even moments after he loosens his grip. "You're always afraid of me. I don't know why, and unless you tell me, we'll be staying this way for a very long time."
"I'm... not." She's stuttering. Hell, why is she stuttering.. "I'm not afraid of... you."
That's a lie. "You wouldn't be trembling if you weren't..."
"... you broke me."
"How?"
As if he doesn't know the answer himself.
He's torturing her by making her speak, shoving ice blades down her throat, giving only burning water to melt them, then claiming it is an act of mercy.
"You left me. You never came back for me, you never thought to take me with you." Each word she says gets softer and softer, until they're nothing but whispers underneath the warm light. ". .. you're willing to let other people take our daughter away."
He moves his hands from her wrists until down to her waist. The young mantcan feel the lace of feminine hands circling the back of his neck.
He's pressed his forehead against her own. Their noses are touching, and his senses are hyper at the feel of her skin against his own. After what's felt like so long, her lips are so, so close to his own and the temptation is like a drug, pumping through his veins and daring him to take the final push.
He can't, he can't, he can't...
She's driving him insane. Every last touch, every single breath, each little whisper.
He shakes his head, and his hair falls against her skin. "I've never been willing to give her away..."
Rin laughs, but it's weak-willed, coated every last inch in disbelief. "Liar. You never really wanted us. I'm an unnecessary issue... that you never really wanted."
Both of them shot a careful look at the side of their bodies, making sure the infant lay undisturbed. The soft breathing from before is following that very same rhythm it has, minutes past. Twin sighs of relief released, and their attention freely settles back onto each other.
"What makes you think that I don't want you?"
"I already told you..."
"Don't fuck with me," His tone makes a sudden switch for hostility, and when Rin recoils because of it, he apologises with another peck to her skin. He quickly attempts to soften his voice. "You think I didn't look for you..?"
She's defensive, her fingernails digging into his neck moving to push against his chest.
Alright, so maybe he should've worded his sentences more nicely.
Rin scowled when her partner refused to budge. He was heavier than her, larger, his figure entirely different than where they once stood together two years ago. Her body dug deeper into the floorboards the quicker she lost her breath, becoming one with the wood.
"Did you look for me?"
She's careful now, as if doubting her own assumptions. It sweeps him in calmer bliss.
"What do you think."
"Stop that."
"Hm?"
Rin locked eyes with him. "That. Sarcasm. Always giving me responses without an answer, it's.. degrading. I hate it. I hate when you do it."
Granted, she would, but that's exactly why he does it in the first please . Len couldn't stop an amused sigh from showing on his face, softly nuzzling his nose against her cheek. Then again at this point she hates when he does anything.
A recommendation for her to re-evaluate her standards every now and then tickled at the tip of his tongue. He swallows it down like ginger tea with a bite of cinnamon bread, knowing that a slip of his tongue now would only bring more harm than it would with ease.
Rin's getting impatient, tugging at his sleeves. "Just tell me please. I'm tired of playing around."
"For you, I'd look until the end of the world."
"...?"
He doesn't hesitate to put his lips on hers this time.
It only lasts for half a second, but it's a touch plenty. She blinks headily when he moves away, unsure whether to pull the older blond back down or to summon every last bit of strength left inside her to push his heavier weight away.
In the end she finds herself frozen, rooted in the same spot, and she doesn't want to do anything else to change it.
Len is nearly smirking when he finally lifts himself away.
"It means yes, stupid."
