2: To Dream You
"You're so cute…" Rin snapped her head up, startled. Leaning closer in anticipation, she continued to listen to his mumbles. "I love you, Rin, so, so much…" It occurred to her that not only was he shy about his feelings, but he also talked in his sleep about apparently tightly-locked secrets… regarding her.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Sometimes people were afraid to love.
"…Duuuuude. What time is it?"
Rin.
Len's head turned up, glancing at the clock's glowing numbers in his bedroom, his voice rendered quiet from sleepiness as he sighed, "One in the morning. We still haven't finished the test corrections, though."
Sometimes love was afraid of people.
But…
"Twenty-four more to go," Rin commented with a soft laugh, her voice fading away into nothing and leaving herself to feel like a deflated balloon. The usually silent night was tweaked with the sound of Rin typing away on the computer at her wit's end and Len occasionally falling asleep, only for her to smack him with a rolled up worksheet packet when he did.
The two best friends were the worst procrastinators on the face of the planet, always tending to end up finishing work the day before it was due out of laziness. Most students in their class were probably done, having the blessing of sleeping on this particular Sunday night. She stared at her laptop's bright screen, multiple tabs with searches of questions from their worksheet.
Unfortunately, the teacher had worded the questions in a way that one wouldn't be able to look it up so easily.
Miss Megurine was a clever one. But whatever, Rin had known that at the beginning of the school year when she realized the teacher made her rather ill at ease. She had a mysterious, almost eerie aura.
Len and Rin's seemed to contrast each other, very much so, even though they were total best friends since childhood. Len was completely shy, entirely sensitive to harsh tones since infancy, and was like a turtle. Seeing a threat, he'd isolate himself up into his shell rather than face his problems. This sort of thing often made himself look like a shadow behind Rin, always by her side but rarely ever saying anything in fear of becoming a target for predators. Fortunately, Rin always protected him.
Rin, yes, on the other hand, was simply just more out-going with her bright personality, was something of a tomboy, and was well, just a ray of sunshine Len found in his realm of timidity and books. Their meeting wasn't painfully angst-worthy, romantic, or really cute, Rin supposed.
They met in prekindergarten when boys and girls still shared a single bathroom, and Len had been at the urinal when Rin walked up to wash her hands at the sink and confused his hoo-ha-ha for an eggroll. She engaged into an argument with him, with Len wanting to shrink away to hide as usual, until the teacher had to lead Rin out of the bathroom with her wriggling in their arms screaming that Len was hiding an eggroll in his pants. Len remembered cringing and flushing from the side by the amount of stares piercing into him.
Since then, the two had been close. Perhaps it was because their differences was what made their relationship interesting and engaging, or because she was the reason why he didn't sit at lunch alone like he would have. She seemed to intimidate him a bit at the beginning, but she was quite kind nevertheless, which enabled him to warm up to her.
Rin was the kind of child back then who had zero qualms over deciding to beat up anyone who displayed a single sign of misogyny, which, then again was the reason why she was intimidating in the first place, but was still the kind of child to share her cookies if someone forgot their lunch money.
Somehow, it was a "treat people the way you want to be treated" moral that Rin had. She wasn't perfect, so to say. But that was acceptable, and Rin was fine with that, as with Len.
Presently, Len was reclining against the side of his bed, several textbooks open, while Rin chose to lay her body flat against the mattress with her laptop. Len was just more of a books sort of person, since he worked way too slow on the computer and would probably even forget where the space bar was located, while Rin was a slow reader and often drifted her attention away from the text and ended up having to start over on a page.
In Len's house, it was ever-so familiar for Rin, enough for her to be able to go on recalling memories of having sleepovers with him and making tents from blankets to tell spooky stories to him, only to backfire against her because then she would have to stand by the bathroom door like a knight when he had to go. The familiar scent of pizza was also present, being their favorite food, and a box of it was lying on the table with only a few slices left, but likely already cold. Among Len's walls were posters of movies Rin dragged him along to see, which Rin saw that Len enjoyed enough to have posters of them, and on one of the walls was a tack-board.
Pictures of them together took most of its space, along with sticky notes of reminders Len had being the mostly organized person he was, and old childish drawings they made together in prekindergarten, portraits of each other with one that Rin quickly drew of Len as a stick figure with bananas for his hair. All of this was so recognizable to her, and sometimes she wondered would all of these go away one day. Not all friendships lasted…
Shaking her head, Rin then spotted her binder for the particular subject of the homework on the floor and took it, prising open its flaps to find any old classwork that might have the answer to the question she was on, even though she had tried hours ago but with no avail.
"Did you happen to get number forty-three yet?" Len asked tentatively, his words punctuated with a loud yawn.
"Nah." Rin clapped her binder shut, tossing it to the confines of the crevice between the wall and Len's bed. She rubbed at her eyes and said, "Can't we, like, call Miku or something for the answers?"
"I'd rather not have my head ripped off by her, no less by her parents."
"Yeah..."
Albeit the fact Miku was a generally pleasant person, polite although a bit eccentric, she was not the person one would call at this hour. Her range of capability regarding murder was unknown, but rumors said that one time a student called her up at midnight and he didn't show up to school ever again. A chill crawled up Rin's spine.
Len turned around from his textbooks. "Heeeey, can I take a nap?"
"Why?! We have work to do! We have to get down to business! To defeat the Huns!"
"Okay, first of all, we're learning about the Mongols right now, Rin, and I'm so tired I can't feel my face…!" he whined.
"Len," she deadpanned, glowering at him.
Sensing the glare even if he looked away, he stammered helplessly, "H-Hey, I promise to work a lot harder when I wake up. Just let me take a nap f-for a while, okay? I'll like, give you my soul!"
Silence draped over them.
With much reluctance, Rin nodded with a grimace.
And at that moment, Len passed out.
Rin shook her head at his snappy reaction, sighing exasperatedly as she gazed as his sleeping face. What was she going to do with this boy, really? Still, the faintest curl of a smile was on her lips as she mused this. He looked cute when he was asleep.
Her eyes widened as what she was doing registered, and she whirled back to her laptop. She was no Edward Cullen…!
Len awakens, eyes blurry as he tries to adjust to his surroundings, and when the blurring does disperse, he sees Rin's seemingly glowing cerulean eyes locked directly on to him. Startled at the intensity of her stare and the bone-chilling way she seems to sparkle in the moonlight, he screams hysterically and frantically scrambles away like an awkward crab to his dresser.
"The hell, Rin?!"
"Ah, yes…" Rin's nose inhales the scent of his fear, deeply, hungrily, and shudders. Len only whimpers on the floor. "Len, yes… I see that you are awake." She inhales again, nostrils flaring wide, and then bites her lip tenderly as she continues to freakishly stare at the poor teenager who is trembling like a chihuahua. "Do not worry, my sweet, return to sleep. I will be over here on your bed, watching you sleep, SMELLING YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY."
Rin really needed some sleep right about now.
-.-.-.-.-.-
…It was now three o'clock. The bus would arrive at six-twenty. And Len had "napped" for two hours, unknown to Rin at the time, who managed to finish the worksheet on her own somehow when she happened to check her Facebook and saw that Miku was online. She had been online since she came home, saying that she was in a group conversation and they were having an all-nighter because YOLO. Of course, Rin had been frothing-at-the-mouth furious finding this out. She had refrained from logging in on her account because if she did, she would end up procrastinating more. After filling in the answers, along with doing it for Len's worksheet due to her being merciful like that, she collapsed on her back and looked at the ceiling.
She was exhausted.
Ah, this experience would teach her never to procrastinate again, and she knew it. Len was practically unconscious on the floor, she was glaring in frustration at the ceiling, attempting to find pictures in the white texture, and despite being tired she had no will to sleep. She was so tired she couldn't even sleep. It didn't make much sense, but that was how she felt. Granted the situation, she wasn't exactly shocked that she couldn't fall asleep now. Maybe her system adapted when it was far too late.
Rin slid off the bed, deciding to microwave some pizza so she could hurry and fall asleep. Definitely, she didn't want to attend school appearing like a walking corpse, no matter how much of a tomboy she was. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, energy drained, her hair nappy with sweat from staying up for so long, and her hands were clammy from using the computer. As she was peeling back the lid of the box, a soft, all-too-familiar voice came from the darkness.
"R-Rin…"
Gasping, she turned around so sharply that she almost fell forward. A ghost?! Regaining her balance steadily, however, she cautiously called out, "Hello?"
"Rin, Rin…" the voice went on. Her eyes locked onto the motionless figure on the floor—the source of the sound.
Oh. Relief flooded in her system, all traces of her fear dissolving.
It was just Len. Talking in his sleep.
Scowling, Rin shoved the box away from her grasp and padded over the carpet to her sleeping friend. He was definitely deep in slumber, now, showing no sign of consciousness and had a textbook tented up beside his palms that lay flat. She felt envy for him, so easily succumbing to slumber like that without needing any tea or food or lullabies. But then again, this was Len.
She knelt down in front of him. She didn't know he spoke in his sleep. Maybe it was because usually when he fell asleep, she fell asleep too. As if they were twins, but weren't, even though they looked uncannily similar and had such mirrored first names. Rin and Len. Right and left. How odd, she realized then.
"Len," she sighed, but smiled at him affectionately. "You're too much, you know?"
"Rin, hey…"
She didn't expect him to respond, much less even dream about her. Wait.
Her eyes widened. He was dreaming about her? Her of all people?
She reached over to the outlets, twisting the light-bulb of the nightlight to turn it on, as she'd turned it off when Len went to sleep. Light flickered, and soon the rays of the brightness chased away the darkness of the room, painting shadows over his face. Even then, he looked cute. A tinge of blush touched Len's cheeks, eyelashes dark and slightly feminine.
Jeez… Rin rubbed two fingers over her right eyebrow, hoping to rid of the pounding sensation.
"So cute…"
Did she say that out loud?! She panickedly checked to see if he was awake, poking his cheek gently, even, but saw that he was indeed still asleep. Rin heaved a sigh of relief, clasping a hand over her thumping chest. Thank goodness. But really, did she say that out loud?
No… She couldn't have. Len wasn't cute; no, he was, but… Not in a way that was supposed to attract her like this. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with a best friend! That would be way too painful! No, no, she wasn't in love with him, she wasn't in love with him, she wasn't in love with Len, definitely!
Yet…
Len's name fluttered butterflies in her stomach. She felt anxiety coil in her stomach, too. No… Rin's mouth went dry as she glanced at Len once more. Did she really…? She lowered her head. This was bad. Very, very bad.
"Mm…"
Rin blinked, perplexed. "Len?"
Said boy shifted a bit, but his eyes were still closed shut. "Rin…" he murmured. "You're so cute…" Rin snapped her head up, startled. Leaning closer in anticipation, she continued to listen to his mumbles. "I love you, Rin, so, so much…" It occurred to her that not only was he shy about his feelings, but he also talked in his sleep about apparently tightly locked away secrets… regarding her.
Fatigue wasn't making her imagining this. She blushed. Heh.
He even thought about her in his dreams.
Len loves me.
Len loves me.
Len loves me.
She was unable to restrain herself any longer.
Pent-up emotions unleashing like water from a broken dam, she captured his lips with a kiss. To her horror, at that moment, he abruptly awoke and he found Rin kissing him. He hardly found the will to hesitate as he briskly grabbed hold of her arms and pressed his lips back to her own, lustfully so he could monopolize her for himself and him only, no one else. He wanted to keep going, but she suddenly halted and pulled away, eyes clouded with an unknown emotion.
"Rin…" His throat was far too raw to speak properly, so his voice came out raspy. He swallowed. "Why'd you stop?"
She bit her lower lip, something she didn't do too often, meaning he caught her off guard. Her mouth was tingling, her heart beating so quick she feared it would leap from her chest any time now. Rin desperately tried to avoid his gaze as she said, "I mean… Did you want to kiss me…?"
"Well… Yeah." Their breaths were mingling. His face was pink, and he reached to touch his face, to hide—something he himself did often whenever someone raised their voice at him or did something that frightened him. His instinctive body language was just so Len. She felt the need to hide as well at the moment; sweat was coming out from her pores out of nervousness, uncertain from what she was feeling. "Can you, I don't know, you know - c-can we kiss again? That alright with you?"
There was a beat of silence, just the two of them gazing at each other.
"S-Sure thing, Sleeping Beauty," Rin stammered. The carpet was prickly against her bare knees, and she was suddenly self-conscious in the shorts that she'd always casually worn around him. Len didn't flinch, though, to her princess comment. He just smiled softly.
Before she had time to question it, Rin yelped as he brought her legs out from underneath her, having not expected him to suddenly become dominant like this. Once her legs were properly wound around him, he kept trailing those ghost-like fingers across her skin, as if her skin was of a delicate porcelain and he was an eager buyer. She was always used to him being timid and gentle, forever doing simple things like sharing his umbrella with her in the rain and pulling her away from perverted stares quietly. With her on his lap, she assumed he was going to go in for the kiss bluntly.
Instead he surprisingly slowly leaned in, perhaps to savor the moment. Instinctively, Rin anxiously giggled and drew away. Shock crossed Len's gentle features. This was too humiliating. She was too weak. She didn't want to be weak, but his face was right there and she was too afraid of screwing up. She found it too hard to breathe, struggling to avoid contact with his lips and those eyes that were bound to display disappointment any moment.
Patiently, however, Len leaned forward. Instead, Rin impulsively just did a bob and duck maneuver, her hands cradling the back of her head. This was bad. She wanted to kiss him, too, but this was too…
"Rinny?"
Hearing his affectionate nickname for her, she immediately responded with, "Y-Yeah?"
"Please hold still." Len brushed her hands away, finally being able to see her flushing face once again. Then, shyly, he inclined his head toward hers.
And he kissed her once again. Again. And again. And again. He constantly slanted his mouth over hers and soon enough she couldn't help but return his kisses with equal want, allowing herself to submit to Len as well as her feelings.
His hands roamed across her thighs, pinching the skin frequently to check if this was all really true, and pressing her body closer to his as it continuously arched against his own as if both of them wanted their bodies to meld together. Something wet tapped at Rin's lips, and she responded by parting them, permitting Len's tongue to lightly caress the upper interior of her mouth. She could have sworn Len had quietly moaned.
Upon it slithering away later, Rin sucked his upper lip, initiating a growl from Len's throat and prompting him to jerk his lower body to hers. She practically felt her internal strings falling apart at his actions, how he continuously massaged her shoulders, kept touching her here and there as though his sole purpose was to please her.
Warmth. It wasn't weakness… it was just the comforting and intoxicating warmth of Len.
Eventually, they had to part completely. Blurred vision caused her to be unable to properly see his present expression, but she assumed he was happy because he nuzzled her neck with his head, panting softly.
"Rin…"
"L-Len… That was…" she gasped, in a daze and her face burning as though she was in a blistering sauna. Then, narrowing her eyes, she struck his arm harshly with her hand. "Seriously embarrassing! Don't ever do that to me again! You made the all-mighty goddess Rin look like a weak lamb, you dummy!"
Len shakily chuckled, just barely offended. "Rin, you're not exactly the scary person you make yourself to be, you know. I like it when you're weak like that. You're seriously cute when you're timid. In fact…" Teasingly, he blew briefly in her ear. "…I just want to be the only person to see you like that."
A scarlet blush bathing her cheeks, she uttered, "M-Man, what happened to the Sleeping Beauty I saw hours ago?" Rin sighed dramatically, dabbing away fake tears. "I've always wanted to see you grow up a bit, but not like this… Not like this."
"My, my darling prince~!"
Rin pfff-ed. "So romance. Much love. Do want."
Len cupped her face with his hands, smiling gently at her. He would fall in love with her over and over again. "I really, really love you, Rin." And he meant it.
Her face softened. Delicately leaving a butterfly kiss on his cheek, she whispered, "I love you, too, my sweet Bella." Len immediately lurched back.
"You creep…!"
uuuUUH that was the most borderline smutty thing i have ever written. how embarrassing. ;_; don'tevenlookatme
i
i heard certain people liked the french fries so?
(if you need me, i'll be breakdancing at the dumpster where my bitch ass belongs.)
also, thank you thank you thank you for those who reviewed and favorited and followed and all that jazz. ;u; you are my sweet bellas and sleeping beauties who i do not stalk whatsoever for i am no edward cullen.
