intervention
Rin groaned. "I can't believe I'm helping you with this," she grumbled. "This had better be worth it! If you don't leave my house with Len as your boyfriend or whatever, don't talk to me ever again," she threatened, though of course Miku knew she was just kidding. She gnawed nervously on her lip, agreeing to that.
Her best friend exhaled, causing the line to crackle. "All right, I'm leaving my house now. As you know, Mum is attending some overseas work meeting, so when you go in you should be alone with Len. He'll be too nice to turn you away if you pretend your parents like, kicked you out of the house or something. You can crash in my room, but don't touch anything, okay? And remember," Rin's tone was urgent. "Len hinted before that he likes girls who make the first move. Remember that!"
"All right, all right! I got it!" she bit her lip so hard that she thought it might bleed. She was super nervous, but Rin seemed pretty confident that everything was going to work out. Well, Miku really hoped it would. The two of them had entertained the thought of setting her up on a date with Len for months, but nothing ever came out of it because firstly, Len was rarely around whenever Miku went to Rin's house, and secondly, the fact that he was two years older than them made her jittery.
Len was Rin's older brother, and he was pretty much the most gorgeous person she had ever seen. It was a miracle he was single right now. He had broken up with his girlfriend of three years just a few months ago, and that was when Miku started wondering if she now had a chance. Rin couldn't understand why anyone found her brother attractive – Len had all the sex appeal of a lamppost to her – but Miku just couldn't stop thinking about the older boy. Her minor obsession with him began when she first saw Len at Rin's house, his hair tied back into a relaxed ponytail, playing with a puppy. A friend of his went overseas for a week, so they left their dog at Len's place until they were back. Len's bright smile and sweet tone while he talked to the puppy just melted her heart. Unfortunately, back then he was attached…
Well, now he wasn't. Rin thought that her brother might have gotten over his breakup by now, but Miku honestly didn't know. Len wasn't just handsome, he was amazingly nice to everyone too, and the downside to this was that he had been hit pretty hard by his breakup. She was not too sure about the details herself, but apparently Len had been very mopey for a few weeks. Rin said he seemed more cheerful nowadays though, which was likely a good sign. Miku did not know the reason behind the breakup, and although some part of her wanted to find out more, the rest of her remained hesitant. The less she knew about Len's previous romances, the better it would be for her.
"Good," Rin declared. "I'm on my way to Teto's house now. You better make a move on Len tonight otherwise we'll have planned all this for nothing," she sighed. "And let me just tell you that if you don't do anything now, someone else will probably call dibs on him or something. Len is kind of popular in school I think?" Miku could practically hear Rin frowning. "At least he already knows who you are, so it shouldn't be too hard to flirt with him…ugh, I feel sick just talking about my brother this way."
"I'm sorry," Miku mumbled, slightly ashamed about roping her best friend in to help her with this. She had tried very hard to conceal her crush from Rin, but the astute blonde figured it out the first time she saw Miku around her brother. Apparently the blush gave everything away. "I'll try my best! He may not like me…I mean, he's eighteen! I'm only sixteen. I bet he wants someone slightly older?" she questioned, uncertain. She looked out of the window, staring at the neighbourhood outside.
It was a nice, sunny afternoon. There were lots of people out and about, and soon enough she would be leaving the house to go to Rin's place as well. Rin was going to Kasane Teto's house and would spend the night there to give Miku some private time with her brother. Miku needed an excuse so that Len wouldn't kick her out at night, and she had decided to go with the 'my parents and I got into a fight so I ran away from home, let me just stay outside for one night before I go back' story. She told her parents she would be sleeping over at Rin's place tonight so that they wouldn't worry about her.
Rin snorted. "I don't know about that. Do I look like I care about what my brother wants in a girl?" Miku could imagine Rin rolling her eyes. "Just get over there and make a move on him! You've been eyeing him for almost an entire year, and it's been getting on my nerves. Either you grab him now or you forget about him because I swear, if I hear you talking about him one more time –" Rin suddenly paused and yelled something at someone in the background. "Okay, so remember the plan. Crash my place, convince Len to let you stay the night, then do something with your private time together! There's no one in the house, so take advantage of that! Oh, but if you two end up having sex, don't tell me about it."
"Rin!" Miku spluttered, her face suddenly on fire. The thought of having sex…with Len…had never crossed her mind before Rin brought it up. "What are you saying! I would never…oh goodness," she shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Len's bright smile and clear blue eyes flashed through her mind and her face further reddened. "Okay, okay, I'm coming over now!" she practically yelled down the line, grabbing her packed bag and running out of her room. Rin sighed, then hung up on her.
Kagamine Len heard the doorbell ringing. He put down the ladle, frowning. He wasn't expecting anyone today, and it couldn't be Mum or Rin, they wouldn't be ringing the bell. So who could it be?
The doorbell rang again and he sighed, glancing at his pot of soup. It should be all right to leave the pot alone for a moment. Leaving the kitchen, he went to the living room, taking a look through the peephole before opening the front door. He saw a familiar girl with long teal hair standing on the doorstep, looking fidgety. He recognised her – it was Hatsune Miku, his sister's best friend. His cheeks warmed slightly. Damn, because Miku was the complete opposite of Rin and she had practically no idea just how cute she was. Len always had to excuse himself whenever she came over because he didn't want her to see him blushing around her. She was just so unbelievably sweet and shy!
She was playing with the straps of her backpack, the nervousness on her face plain for all to see. He exhaled and unlocked the door, forcing himself to look as calm and rational as possible. "Oh, hey Miku," he greeted her, noticing the way her cheeks reddened at the sight of him. She was so easily flustered around boys, or at least that was what Rin casually mentioned to him once. It made Len wonder if she ever had a boyfriend before. Probably not? "Are you looking for Rin? She just went out to…Teto's house, I think? I can't remember her friend's name," he shrugged apologetically.
She looked startled, her gaze flying up to meet his. Her green eyes were wide. "Oh!" she swallowed, shuffling her feet. Her fingers tightened around her bag. "Um…can I just…go in and wait for her?" she asked timidly, looking away from his face to his shirt. Len suddenly grew aware of the fact that he was still wearing his apron. "Um…I kind of need to talk to her about something," she explained.
"Well…you could, but Rin went for a stayover, so I don't think she'll be coming home tonight," he explained gently. "It might be better if you went home and gave her a call. Do you need a lift back? I can send you home if you live far away," he smiled. Miku hastily shook her head, looking panicky.
"I can't go home! I…I argued with my parents," she blurted out, tone frantic. Len blinked. Miku? Arguing with her parents? It seemed impossible – the Hatsune Miku he had seen around and spoken to on occasion was gentle, sweet and demure. He couldn't imagine her arguing with anyone. "And um, I…I kind of ran away from home…" she continued fiddling with her bag straps. "So I was hoping I could just stay the night at Rin's place. I promise I'll leave by tomorrow morning!" she exclaimed.
He didn't know what to say. On one hand, Len definitely didn't want to be involved in her family problems, but on the other hand, he couldn't just make her leave. What if she ended up sleeping on a park bench and getting molested by strangers or something? He couldn't in good conscience force her to go away. And he knew that he couldn't just persuade her to return home either – he was young too, he understood that she was probably angry and upset now, and going home wouldn't solve anything for her at the moment. "Um…okay, I guess I'd better give Rin a call first and ask her about this," he invited her inside the house, and Miku hesitantly went past him, sitting primly on the couch. Len glanced at her while he took out his phone – his sister would have just sprawled out all over the seats. These two girls were so different.
"Hey, Rin," he greeted his sister when she picked up, sounding disgruntled. There was loud screaming in the background, and he guessed that the girl Rin was spending time with right now wasn't the quietest of people. "Your best friend Miku is here. She says she got into a fight with her parents and I think she wants to stay over at our place for the night…so what do you think? Is that all right, or should I just try and convince her to go home and settle things with her parents?" he glanced at Miku again.
"Oh, just let her crash there, she can use my room," his sister answered dismissively. "Not like Mum is home anyway. She's not staying more than one night, right?" she checked. Len confirmed that, and she sighed. "Okay, then that's all. You can go entertain her or whatever until I'm back in the morning. Bye!" and just like that, his sister cut the call. Len blinked, slipping the phone back into his pocket and eyeing the girl warily. Miku was staring back at him, her cheeks still pink, looking scared.
Was he that frightening? Len glanced at himself in the apron again. He wouldn't exactly call himself intimidating. "Uh…so Rin said it's fine, you can stay. Hope you don't mind my company instead of my sister's?" he laughed awkwardly. "I'm staying home today, so…well," he didn't know what else to say.
"Oh!" she clasped her hands together, suddenly looking relieved. "I don't mind at all! It would be worse to be alone here," she bit her lip, her smile becoming awkward. "Um…are you cooking?" she gestured at his apron. He nodded, feeling extremely self-conscious. He knew there was nothing wrong with wearing an apron or cooking, but letting her see him like this made him feel strange.
"That reminds me, I need to check on my soup!" he exclaimed, remembering his pot. He dashed off towards the kitchen and Miku followed, curious to see what he was making. She saw him stirring a pot of what she assumed to be soup, and wondered if she could do anything to help. "Oh, it's fine," Len was relieved, taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of the soup. "Great, because this is supposed to be both my lunch and dinner. Maybe with some spaghetti…" he glanced at her, standing a little distance away from him in the kitchen. "Oh, I guess I should make more food. Do you want anything?"
"It's all right if it's a bother!" she held up her hands, shaking her head hastily. "I don't want to trouble you. I can make my own food if you give me permission to use the kitchen," she added shyly. Len made a face, thinking it would be rude to force a guest to cook their own meal. But she looked so adorable, just standing there with such an earnest look on her face, fiddling with her long teal hair. How was she only two years younger than him? He kind of wished that his sister could be more like Miku.
"Hmm, it won't be any bother at all. But instead of either one of us cooking, maybe we can just share my meal if you don't mind?" he suggested, glancing at his pot of soup. It was a pretty big pot. He had gone overboard when preparing this. "It's cream of mushroom, if you're interested. And I have some spaghetti in the cabinets somewhere, and there's frozen meatballs in the fridge," he added, grinning at her. Miku hesitated, then gave him a small nod, a grateful smile on her face.
"Thank you!" she bowed a little. Len had to look away from her, hoping his face wasn't going red. He reminded himself that he was already eighteen years old and he shouldn't be so badly affected just because there was a cute girl in his kitchen. And anyway, she was his sister's best friend, which kind of meant that he shouldn't get involved with her, right? If their relationship ever soured Rin would probably be caught in between them. Yeah, it was best not to get involved with Miku. Although he did kind of want to spend more time with her. It sounded selfish to say this, but in a way her argument with her parents had benefited him…not that he wanted her to continue fighting with them!
"Do you want to help me prepare the spaghetti?" he asked when she continued lingering in the kitchen, shuffling from foot to foot. Miku nodded gratefully, apparently thankful to have something to do, and he made space for her as she bustled around the kitchen, looking for the pasta and putting it in a pot to boil. The two of them worked peacefully together, and Len thought that this was something he could get used to.
Shortly after they finished making the spaghetti and settled down to have a late lunch, there was a loud banging on the door. Miku jumped, her forkful of pasta dropping back onto the plate, and Len frowned, eyeing the door quizzically. "Oi, Len!" an unfamiliar voice shouted from outside.
"Oh," he muttered, giving her a careful look. "I'll be right back. It's a friend of mine," he grinned, then got up from the table and walked to the front door. Miku watched, rising from her seat as well and edging towards the doorway so she could watch – she felt really curious about who Len was greeting. Len opened the front door and stood aside – two other boys stepped into the house, looking around and laughing. "You really need to give me some advance warning before coming over," Len sighed audibly.
"What for?" one of the boys snorted. He had dark brown hair and chocolate eyes, a slightly cocky smile on his face. "Are you scared we'll find your secret girlfriend or something?" he joked, and Miku swallowed, ducking safely out of sight behind the doorway. Her presence here might lead to misunderstandings! Though she did want Len to notice her in that way, she didn't want his friends to tease him about her presence. There was a sudden splutter, and Miku quickly looked back to see Len playfully punching the guy in the stomach. He fell back in exaggerated pain, groaning.
"Stop that, Meito," the other boy sighed. He had silky pink hair and light blue eyes, and he looked like he was extremely smart. Miku could feel the intelligence radiating off him in waves. She bet he was the best student in the cohort or something. "We all know Len is the most single person among all of us, so rubbing it in his face just annoys him. And stop groaning, you're not really hurt."
Meito stopped grumbling and got up from the couch, rubbing his stomach. "Well, you sure have a mean left hook, Len," he joked. Len just rolled his eyes, then glanced quickly in the direction of the kitchen. Miku hastily ducked behind the doorway again, her heart beating fast. Should she make her presence known to the other two boys, or should she just hide in the kitchen until they were gone?
"Len, do you have any food?" the voice of the other boy, whose name she still did not know, now sounded disgruntled. "This idiot here wanted to come over to play that new game you bought last week, but we forgot to have lunch so now we're starving," his voice was getting closer and closer. Miku panicked, instinctively hiding underneath the kitchen table and hoping no one would see her. Her heart was racing in her chest. "Let me just pop inside and see what you're cooking this time –"
"No, don't!" but it was too late, and she saw a pair of feet walking in. It definitely wasn't Len because he hadn't been wearing long pants when she first saw him. The new guy was followed by Len, who had fallen silent upon realising that she wasn't around in the kitchen. Miku hoped that no one would notice her hiding beneath the kitchen table. "Uh…I made spaghetti and mushroom soup for lunch," he finally spoke again, walking over to the table. Miku held her breath and stayed still.
"Nice, I love soup," the other guy responded enthusiastically. A third pair of feet walked in, and she assumed they belonged to Meito. "Meito, you want to help Len finish off his excess food?" his voice sounded mischievous now. "Eh, but why is there another bowl on the table…? Len, do you have guests?"
"No! Of course not!" Len laughed awkwardly. "I just thought I'd get hungry again so I prepared a second serving for myself first. Why would I have any guests? I don't even have any friends besides you lot," he groused. Meito laughed, clapping Len on the back. Miku quite liked the sound of his laugh – it was rich and chocolatey, just like his warm brown eyes. It was a very infectious kind of laugh.
"Oh, please. We all know that half the girls in our school adore you. Ever since you broke up with Kaiko they've been eyeing you like they're tigers and you're a fresh slab of meat. Don't you agree, Luki?" Meito asked. Miku nodded to herself – now she knew that the final guy was called Luki. The name reminded her of Megurine Luka, who was one year her junior in school and in the same choir section as her. Luka was a lovely girl, polite and friendly. In fact, this Luki guy did kind of look like her…
"God, forget it," Len groaned. "Let's not talk about that. I particularly enjoy being single right now," Miku's heart fell slightly at those words, but she continued to listen nevertheless. "I'm over Kaiko but not so much that I could just start dating people again. Besides, being single feels great," he mused. "I don't need to keep paying for anniversaries and dates and stuff, and I can head out and go drinking or watch sports whenever I want. I feel so free," Len chuckled. Miku bit her lip, getting nervous.
If this was how Len felt, then would her and Rin's plan succeed? If he wasn't even interested in dating at the moment, she knew she'd have no chance whatsoever. Len had been friendly to her all day but he never showed any sign that he liked her that way, which was depressing…but she had promised Rin that she would do something about her situation so she would definitely see this through.
Thankfully, it appeared that Len still remembered her presence because after his two friends finally finished all the food, he forced them to leave his house, saying he would play video games with them some other day and that he was really dead tired, so he'd appreciate it if they left now. Meito and Luki still seemed pretty suspicious of Len's urgent desire to get rid of them, but in the end they left without too much fuss and Miku could clamber out from underneath the table, stretching her stiff body.
"Oh, you were underneath the kitchen table all along!" Len jumped as she climbed out, gaping at her. "I thought you managed to sneak up to Rin's room or something…wait, so you heard everything we were saying?" he looked sharply at her. She briefly considered shaking her head, but decided it would be better to just tell the truth and gave him a small nod. Len sighed. "Oh well, at least we didn't say anything too embarrassing," his blue eyes twinkled. "But give me some warning next time!"
"Next time?" she echoed, confused. So he expected her to hide underneath a kitchen table again? Len appeared to notice his slipup and hastily shook his head, now looking slightly pained. Miku glanced at the table and saw that all the soup and spaghetti had been eaten. Her stomach growled.
"I meant…um…well, if something similar ever happens again just tell me you're hiding nearby," he explained awkwardly. "We can make more food if you want. Sorry, that wasn't supposed to happen," he apologised, clearing the plates off the table and putting them in the sink. Miku did the same with the bowls, hovering just a little distance away from Len. There was a smile on her face.
"It's all right! I liked listening to them. You all sound like great friends!" she chirruped, turning the tap so that she could begin washing the dishes. Len smiled too, looking almost relieved. "How long have you all known each other for?" she asked, just curious about his friends. He paused to think.
"It's been a really long time, actually," he answered. "I can't exactly remember anymore, but we've all been friends since…since we were young. Rin knows them pretty well too. Pity she isn't here," he sighed, missing the quick flash of guilt that crossed Miku's face. She still felt bad about making Rin stay out of her house for one entire night, though honestly that had been Rin's idea. "I'm glad you don't think they're weird. Rin always says that we're all weird, that's why we hang out together," he grinned. She gulped. He had such a charming smile. Too bad he wasn't looking for a girlfriend…
"I think you guys are cute together," she answered honestly. Len, who had poured himself a glass of water and was drinking from it as she spoke, suddenly spluttered, choking on his drink. Miku hastily went over to him, thumping him on the back, and Len inhaled, holding out his hand. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked, nervous. Len took in a few deep breaths, eyes watering slightly, and put the glass back on the countertop, still coughing a little. He shook his head.
"No, you didn't say anything wrong. That just took me by surprise," he smacked his chest, coughing again. "Cute isn't the word I'd use to describe a group of eighteen-year-old guys, you know," his smile was full of amusement. "Honestly, Miku, you're a whole lot cuter than them. I mean it."
Her face flamed. "Oh, um…thank you?" the upward lilt of her voice made it sound more like a question than a statement. Len just chuckled and patted her on the head, and she found herself wondering if Len actually saw her as a second sister…she fidgeted while the older boy left the counter, checking the cabinets to see if there was any more food for them to eat. "Um, I heard you all talking about a girl named Kaiko…" she began hesitantly, feeling terribly curious. "Is she your ex?"
Len had stilled at the sound of the name, and now he turned to face her, suddenly looking very serious. She figured she had brought up something sensitive. "Yeah, she is. We broke up a few months back. I guess Rin might have told you about it," his words sounded forced. "She was seeing some other guy behind my back, so…well, that's all, I guess," he shrugged, staring at the floor. Miku swallowed, not knowing what to say, and finally he glanced back up at her. "I'm over it now, I really am. Just that I'd rather not talk about it right now," he sounded apologetic, his expression sad.
She flapped her hands awkwardly. "Um, um, it's okay!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry for asking. Um, let's just find some food?" she hated herself for the way she made the atmosphere so awkward. Between her and Rin, Rin was the talkative one who never had trouble chatting with new people, while she struggled to find even a single topic to discuss with strangers. Len nodded, relieved, and the search continued.
"Guess we'll just have to order a pizza, they ate the last of my food," Len sighed as he closed the final cabinet, shaking his head. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked. She quietly asked if they could have a Hawaiian pizza, and Len stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Wow, you actually requested something! I didn't think you would ever do such a thing," he teased, reaching out to ruffle her hair before he pulled out his phone and called the nearby pizza place. She blushed.
Len reacted pretty positively when she voiced out her wants. It reminded her of what Rin said, that Len liked girls who were direct and made the first move. Maybe she ought to keep this up?
"No, you go into his room and get into bed with him," Rin was hissing at her over the phone. Miku's face was, by now, a spectacular shade of red. She could see her reflection in Rin's mirror. "No buts! Do it! Len doesn't ever lock his room door. It's a habit he never dropped, so make use of that!"
"Rin, I can't do that," she protested, shaking her head furiously as she gripped the phone. "It's so embarrassing! And weird! And it'd be like sexual harassment!" she blurted out, squeezing her eyes shut. Rin let out an irritated sigh, her voice crackling through the line. There was loud music playing in the background now, and Miku wistfully thought that Teto's house seemed to be really fun.
"Okay, let me tell you a bedtime story. So when I was little, whenever I had nightmares about being abandoned – since, you know, Mum and Dad divorced like a few years after I was born – I would go to Len's room and he would let me share his bed so I wouldn't freak out again. That's why it's a habit for him to leave the door unlocked, even when I sneak in now to like, pour water on his face in the middle of the night or whatever. So just do the same thing! Tell him you had like, a bad dream!" Rin's voice was getting louder and louder, as it was prone to doing whenever she became agitated.
Miku winced. "But that feels like lying," her voice was small. Rin sighed again, more exaggeratedly than the first time, and Miku had to hold the phone away from her ear. She glanced around Rin's room – it was nice and homely, decorated with a pastel orange wallpaper and covered with fluffy rugs and blankets. It was definitely more comfortable than her own room. She was jealous.
"Look, do you want Len as your boyfriend or not?" she said fiercely. "If you want it, you've got to be forward. He was probably lying to Luki and Meito about not wanting to find another girl. He's always lying to them because they'd keep trying to match him up with random girls and he's not okay with that. I'm not even asking you to take his clothes off! Just sneak into his room, get into his bed and be all nice and snuggly. Come on, he's bound to ask you out after that," Rin sounded extremely smug.
"Rin…I don't think it's a good idea," she whispered. She was keeping her voice low in case Len was able to hear her from outside. There was silence on the other end for a while, and Miku worried that she had said something to offend her best friend. Rin couldn't stand being told that she was wrong.
"Fine, do whatever you want! But if nothing happens at the end of today, don't come crying to me," she finally warned Miku. Miku sighed, feeling dejected already. "Just remember, Len likes forward girls. Didn't you say you observed that for yourself too? You can't get more forward than what I suggested," and she was nudging the topic back to her grand plan again. Miku rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"Okay, fine," she muttered. "I'll give it a shot. And if it doesn't work out, I guess I'll just have to dig a hole in the ground and hide there for the next fifty years," she said, semi-seriously. Rin just laughed and wished her good luck before she hung up, and Miku let her phone rest on her lap, wondering if this seriously weird idea Rin suggested would work. Rin should know her brother best, that was true…
It seemed like such a gross intrusion of personal space. She was willing to give it a shot though, if Len's door really wasn't locked tonight. If it was then she'd just forget about it and pretend that nothing had ever happened. She was actually pretty content to just look at Len from afar, after all. He was two years her senior, and it was difficult to imagine him actually ever liking her back.
Miku stayed in Rin's room the entire day, only leaving when night came. She didn't know what Len was doing, but he definitely didn't leave the house nor did he come to talk to her. It was only around midnight when Len finally knocked on the door and told her he was going to sleep, and if she needed anything she could just let him know, he'd try to arrange something if possible. His room was right opposite Rin's. She lay on the bed, so nervous that she couldn't sleep. Her hands and feet were freezing cold, the way they usually became when she was extremely frightened. Was she really going to do this?
She waited a while, unsure how long it would take before Len actually fell asleep. When it was two in the morning she felt confident that Len was sleeping by now, so she quietly got up from the bed and snuck over to his room, testing the door to see if it was locked. To her utter surprise, the door really opened and she was looking into Len's room, which was completely dark. She could just barely make out the outline of his window, which was covered by black drapes. She squinted and saw his bed, on which he was lying. There was no small square of light, meaning he wasn't using his phone and he was really, truly asleep. Miku gulped again, terrified now. She felt the sudden urge to just run away.
But Rin would be so mad if she didn't do anything. She could lie about it, but she was certain Rin would find a way to ask her brother if Miku really snuck inside his room, and if Rin found out she lied Miku would probably die a slow death. So she sucked it up and forced herself to step closer, keeping her footsteps light and quiet. She managed to get to his bed without waking him up – Len was facing away from her, turned towards the wall, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically. It was very peaceful.
She shook herself out of her trance. She had to do something now – but what? To really just get into bed with him seemed…seemed too direct. She couldn't possibly do that. But if she just woke him up to talk to him she bet he would be grumpy, which was perfectly understandable. She'd be grumpy too if someone woke her up at two in the morning. In the end, she settled for gingerly sitting on his mattress.
Len didn't stir, much to her relief. She peered over at him and studied his profile, which she could just barely see in the dim light of the room. His eyes were closed, and he seemed well and truly asleep. She sighed quietly, looking around the room once more. She was here, but she had no idea what to do now. She couldn't just lie next to him and hug him. She absolutely refused to do such a thing.
Maybe she ought to just go back into her room. At least she could honestly tell Rin that she did go inside Len's room. But just as she prepared to get up, Len rolled over and his arm fell across her lap, making her freeze. Len was still peacefully sleeping, but Miku was beginning to hyperventilate, having no idea at all what to do now. If she picked up his arm and moved it away, would he wake up? Or if she stood up and let his arm slide off…she didn't know whether Len was a light or heavy sleeper, and she now regretted not asking Rin earlier. She stayed there, unmoving, hoping he would take his arm off soon.
Instead, Len rolled again so that he was facing her now, and his other hand landed on her thigh as well. She almost cried out in surprise, but bit her tongue just in time, muffling the sound. Her face was beginning to heat up. He was so close to her – so close – and she couldn't do anything. God, this was mortifying. She never should have let Rin bully her into following her idea. If she got up quickly and ran out of the room, maybe she could hide from the embarrassment that would definitely follow?
"Miku?" a groggy voice mumbled. She thought she died. Len had woken up! She glanced nervously down at the blond haired boy, but to her surprise his eyes were still closed. Was he talking in his sleep? "So cute…" he breathed, shaking his hand as though he was ruffling her hair. But his hand was actually on her thigh, and it was now dangerously close to the hem of her skirt. She bit her lip, trying hard not to make any sound. "Why are you so cute?" he groaned, and suddenly his eyes snapped open.
Her face flooded with heat. Len lay on the bed, looking both shocked and disoriented, and for a while they just stared at each other, his hands still on her lap. She was opening and closing her mouth, and was fairly certain that she now resembled a fish. "Am I dreaming?" he slurred, the first to break the silence. She quickly nodded, and a smile formed on his face. "What a nice dream," he breathed, and before she knew it he pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. She blinked.
"Len…" she mumbled, unsure if she should try to break free. Her head was nestled against the hollow of his throat. She could feel his warmth and hear his heart beating. It was nice, but she also knew that this was kind of…well, wrong. "Um, could you let go of me?" she asked hesitantly.
"No," he sulked like a child. "You're too cute. If I let you go someone else will take you away from me. Like…like Meito," he was rambling now. "Meito likes cute girls…I don't want him to take you away!" his grip on her tightened, if that was even possible. She felt like she was getting crushed.
"I won't leave!" she promised. He stilled at that, then suddenly he withdrew from her, frowning. His blue eyes were wide, and she met his gaze, swallowing. There was dawning comprehension on his face, and she worried that she had said something wrong. Len was looking more and more shocked.
"This isn't a dream, is it?" he asked. She didn't say anything, remaining resolutely silent. "Oh God," he moaned, letting go of her and shaking his head. "I am so sorry. You didn't hear anything I said – wait, what are you doing in my room?" he looked up again, frowning at her. She had no idea what to say to get herself out of this situation. "Did you need something? Again, I'm so sorry about what I did to you just now," he yawned, rubbing his eyes and running his fingers through his messy hair.
"I…I don't really mind," she whispered. Len stiffened. "Um…I liked it. When you hugged me," she ducked her head so that she wouldn't have to meet his stare. "I like you, Len! But I know you're not looking for a girlfriend right now, so I'll just take my leave," she hastily got up from the bed, ready to die from mortification. She would never be able to look Len in the eye again after tonight.
But he grabbed her wrist before she could run away, turning her around to face him once more. "You do?" his voice sounded strange. "Sit here," he pulled her back to the mattress and she sat, feeling uncomfortable. He stared intently at her. "Could you say that again?" he requested. "You know, the part where you said that you like me," he added. He seemed to be very serious about it.
Her face flamed. "I…I like you, Len," she repeated, wishing a hole could just come and swallow her up right now. The older boy continued to stare at her as though her words hadn't registered, and she waved her hand in front of his face, wondering if he was all right. "Len? Are you okay –"
And suddenly she was in his arms again, and he was hugging her tightly, like he didn't want to let go. She gasped. "You're so damn cute," he mumbled. "I can't stand it. I wanted to ask you out since a month ago but I was afraid it was just a rebound from Kaiko, so I was waiting to see if my feelings for you were genuine. But hearing you say that…it makes me really happy," he pulled back a little, smiling at her. "And yeah, I don't want Meito to see you because he'd just steal you away from me. It's kind of embarrassing, but…I guess dreams are where people are the most honest, hmm?"
Miku blinked. "Wait, so does that…does that mean…" she stuttered, unable to comprehend the situation. Len laughed, running his fingers through her hair before he leant down to her and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. Her mind went completely blank and she just sat there, unable to say a word.
"I like you too," he whispered. "I bet Rin put you up to this…" he cupped her cheek, meeting her gaze intently. Then he smiled. "But I don't care. I'm glad you came to my room. If you didn't, I'd still be waiting, wondering if it's okay to get into another relationship so soon," he kissed her again, this time on the cheek. She still couldn't think. "We may not know each other super well, at least not like how Rin knows you, or Luki and Meito know me. But isn't that the fun part of any relationship? Getting to know each other?" his voice was humorous. "You're cute, but I know there's a lot more to you too, and I want to know more. I want to know everything about you," his words were earnest.
This was very intense. Her brain was not functioning. "I…um, yeah, sure," she stammered, wondering how things had suddenly turned out this way. Maybe she was the one who was dreaming right now. Len laughed, holding her close for a moment longer before he finally let go of her.
"And now you need to go back to Rin's room," he nudged her softly, and she rose from the mattress, head still spinning. "Tomorrow morning I'll send you home; I hope that you and your parents could settle your differences. It's not good to run away from home, you know," now he sounded like the concerned older brother, but she guessed he would probably always sound that way to some degree. He was older than her, after all. "Your parents will definitely be worried about you."
"Actually…uh, I lied, we didn't have any quarrel at all," she admitted, looking down and shuffling her feet. Len paused, and she cringed, hoping he wouldn't scold her or anything. Instead, he just shook his head and sighed, reaching up to stroke her hair again. This was really, really embarrassing.
"Rin," he muttered. "She's a terrible influence. Don't listen to her. Was this entire setup her idea?" he demanded. She shook her head quickly – she had wanted to take part in this plan too, she just didn't know what she ought to do. Rin may have been the mastermind but she was the willing accomplice.
"I, um, I went along with our plan because…ah, I just really wanted to get your attention. She suggested that I sleep over at your house when she isn't around and I said okay," she scratched her head. "I'm sorry! Don't be mad at Rin! It's not her fault!" she clenched the fabric of her skirt, finding comfort in the familiar cotton material. "She's a really good friend…I'm glad to have her," she added.
"I'm not mad at her. But I'll definitely be talking to her when she's back," Len didn't sound irritated, just a little tired. She hoped Rin would be all right. Miku would have lied to protect Rin, but she couldn't lie. She felt so terrible about lying that whenever she tried, the whole room could tell. Her voice would shake, and sometimes she couldn't even get the words out. It just made her feel super guilty. Rin said that lying was her one weakness. "All right, then just go back, I'll drive you home tomorrow. Don't do anything like this again," he added, patting her shoulder. "I'm glad you did, but next time I may not be so forgiving," his words were filled with good humour, but she nodded anyway. This ploy had made her uncomfortable enough – she didn't intend to repeat it.
"Good night, Len!" she blurted out, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek before she turned around and fled from the room, leaving the blond boy stunned on the bed, his fingers reaching up to where her lips had touched. A faint smile curved his lips. Man, that girl was just insanely adorable.
A/N: I feel like this could be continued? I might continue it in another chapter. I'll see.