Work Text:
Len:
hey
kaito
what’s the best way to ask someone out
Kaito:
What’s this all of a sudden
Len:
you’re not kaito
Kaito:
Correct
Len:
meiko
answer my question
it still stands
Kaito:
Bold assumption
But you’re right
Anyway
Just ask her out
Len:
I didn’t say it was a her
and that advice sucks
Kaito:
Well, it’s straightforward and the easiest way to ask someone out
Idk what kind of advice you were expecting
Len:
advice from kaito
anyway I’m done
bye
It was indeed terrible advice. Len spent the entire day trying to hypothesize a plan of attack, to just ask someone out as blatantly as Meiko put it, and perhaps that was the normal way of asking someone out, but this someone who was to be asked out was not normal.
His head hurt.
Rin held up a hand in front of his face and fluttered her fingers in an attempt to draw him back from his inner turmoil. “Earth to Len,” she sang, and when he blinked several times, she gave a winning smile. “Good, you’re back.”
She then proceeded to hold up a bra-and-panty set, and it occurred to him that he’d not registered walking into ye ole tutuanna moments earlier. He’d walked himself into this disaster.
“Is this too much?” she asked, gesturing to the everything of the lingerie. It was cute, and it was frilly, and it was a great effort not to let his mind flirt with the image of her wearing said outfit.
Len swallowed hard, trying to muster up some sort of appropriate answer. “No,” he squeaked.
Rin looked at his face, then back to the set, then back to his face. “It is too much, isn’t it,” she said, placing it back on the rack and moving on to another set that caught her eye.
Damn it.
He stumbled after her, training his eyes to the back of her head. He was aware he did not belong in such a store.
Normally, Len would steer clear of tutuanna, knowing full well the repercussions of him waltzing into the store after Rin. But he had only two brain cells, and both were offline after that unfortunate brief conversation with Meiko earlier.
Just ask her out.
Right, yes. Just ask her out. Right now, in the middle of a lingerie store. That would be awfully romantic.
Rin stopped and turned back to him sharply, holding up another set for his opinion. He almost walked into it, but managed to stop and take a calculated step backwards.
“What about this one?” she asked, using her free hand to play with the lace sewn around the perimeter of the bra. It was pretty and yellow, and much more soft.
Len wanted to say, Yes, that would look so beautiful on you like holy shit man do you want to go out I mean what I mean yes that’s totally what I meant please date me you goddess. But instead, he said, “Er, shouldn’t you be dragging Miku into this store for opinions, rather than me?”
Rin lowered her hands and gave him this look. “You didn’t have to come in here if you didn’t want to. I was just asking a second pair of eyes.”
He flushed. Okay, yes, she had a point. But still. “It looks nice,” he said, deciding to steer away from a potentially awkward conversation in-the-making.
She, thankfully, dropped the subject, and turned back to the set. “It is really nice,” she agreed, pouting her lips in thought. “You don’t think it would wash me out too much?”
What, was she going to walk around in this on the street or something? It was underwear, and it concerned him she cared so much about something like that. Did she have a secret boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? Or both? Or a sugar daddy? Oh no.
Len kept those concerns to himself, though. “No. It’ll match the colour of your hair and contrast with your eyes.”
Rin seemed pleased with his answer, and reached over to tap his arm. “Well, you sold me.”
It was… basic art theory he was drawing his knowledge from, but sure.
She turned away to find her size and then disappeared off to the dressing room to do the fitting. Len took it as his chance to skulk out of the store and free himself of his misery.
Of course, he was still freaking out about why Rin was buying underwear. Like, yeah, okay, buying normal underwear was fine, but this was fancy underwear. This was the kind of underwear girls bought to show their lovers. Or their customers.
He wiped away a bead of sweat. This was not going well.
About fifteen minutes later, Rin came skipping out of the store with a shopping bag tucked under her arm. “You were right,” she said. “Even the assistant in the fitting rooms said the colours suit me.”
Who would have known.
Len, unable to Be A Better Person, smiled slightly and cleared his throat. He fell into step beside her as they set off down the hall of the mall. “So, uh,” he said. Rin turned to look at him, smiling. “Why are you buying such pretty, uh, underwear, when it’s just… underwear?”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“Uh,” he stuttered. “You know… like. Is there a reason? A special event or something?”
She stared at him cluelessly a few moments more, before blinking a couple of times, realisation dawning on her features. “Oh. You mean, like, am I buying this for someone else?”
Len swallowed. “Uh, well, not specifically, but just… you know.” He gave up.
Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, girls can buy cute underwear for themselves, Len. Sometimes it just feels nice to have something cute.”
“Right.” This was awkward. He was an idiot.
She continued, “But, I mean, I guess I’m buying this for someone else too. Potentially. In the future. When I’m dating someone.”
He tried his best not to look too relieved at her answer. “R-right.”
“Besides, it’s good to get a guy’s opinion, too. Like, my opinion and Miku’s opinion are well and all, but your opinion is just as great because… that way I know a guy also likes it. I guess I won’t feel as nervous if I do wear it for… when I’m dating someone.”
Len nodded, although it was a little like Rin had chipped away at his heart with her words. He then said something completely and utterly stupid, that ruined the moment entirely (not that there was a moment, or anything, because there definitely wasn’t).
“I mean, I didn’t even see it on you, though.”
Rin’s whole body manoeuvred to face him like she was possessed by something otherworldly, and she looked at him with wide eyes, kind of shocked.
He spluttered something to cover his mistake. “Uh—that came out wrong—I mean, like, I didn’t—I don’t know what it looked like on you—so I don’t—I uh, um—” He just decided to leave it there. He was making it worse, if anything.
She was silent for a moment, before her hand slapped his shoulder. “You perv,” she said with a teasing grin. “It’s alright. I get what you mean. You do have a point, but… don’t think you’ll get to see this on me, though.”
Oof. Like, major oof.
Len laughed, or, well, fake-laughed given the situation he was in, and just said, “Right. I wasn’t intending on that.” He wanted to eat his own foot.
Rin looked smug. “Good.”
Sometimes, he was very worried Rin knew—she knew somehow he was, like, a bitch for her. Miku had reassured him she was completely oblivious, but still, when she said stuff like this, it was sort of like she was purposely jumping up and down on top of his metaphorical heart.
She then linked her arm with his, and proceeded to drag him into WEGO.
“You just have to do it,” Kaito said, when Len crawled his sorry ass over to him during Music Club on Monday. Rin was running late to their club meeting—she had a Science Club thing, and, god that girl was crazy enough to try balance two clubs at once—so Len told everyone about his woes.
Well, not everyone, but the people who cared.
“I can’t,” Len protested. “She has made it very obvious on several occasions she has never, ever considered dating me, let alone will consider.”
“So? The worst she could do is reject you,” Meiko pointed out, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms over her chest.
“It could also permanently damage our friendship,” Len said.
Kaito shook his head. “Rin doesn’t seem like the kind of person to do that.”
Sitting over in the corner, Miku said from behind her hand mirror, “She’s adamant Len is like a brother to her, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with Len on this one.”
“Miku,” Kaito said in an exasperated tone. “You’re supposed to be on our side.”
She looked at him over her hand mirror, fixing her lip balm with a finger. “I don’t take sides.”
The pair were staring each other down across the room when Rin waltzed in, her hands full of books. She stopped when she noticed the sour atmosphere. “What did I miss?”
“Rin,” Kaito said as a greeting. “I have a question.”
She gave him an uncertain look as she walked over to a desk and dumped her armful down. “You’re not kicking me out of the club because I’m late every Monday, are you?”
Everyone looked at each other, as if the assumption was as absurd as it was fair.
Kaito blinked. “No.”
Rin took a seat between Len and Miku. “Okay. Shoot.”
“On a scale of zero to 10, zero being not at all like a brother and ten being the brotheriest brother a non-brother can be, where does Len sit with you?”
She frowned in confusion and shot a questioning glance at both Len and Miku, who actively avoided her gaze. “Why… what sort of discussion preceded this?”
“Answer the question.”
Rin touched her hair, mulling over her answer. “Like, I would say a nine,” she said.
“See? I told you,” Miku piped up.
“What is the context for this?” Rin asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kaito said. “We’re done now. Thank you for answering the question.”
When Rin wasn’t looking, Kaito shot Len a very apologetic look. Len just gave him a very sad shrug.
Miku:
You know, she’s not going to budge on the brother thing.
Kaito:
it’s just so cruel
Meiko:
Is she into incest?
Len:
I don’t think I could handle her referring to me as a brother while we fornicated, meiko
Meiko:
It’s a thought.
Miku:
Len has a valid point. And no, she isn’t.
Kaito:
look I gotta say I’m not with you, Meiko
Meiko:
I’m just trying to help, okay? Len isn’t even being friendzoned. He’s being brotherzoned.
Kaito:
maybe you should just tell her you don’t see her as a sister, Len
Len:
she’ll assume I’m ending our friendship if I do that
Kaito:
so then yoU TELL HER YOU WANT TO KISS HER
Miku:
Ok. All of you are useless. I’ll try talking to Rin.
Len:
I am concerned but I have faith you won’t turn this into a dumpster fire
Miku:
I’m honoured you trust me so much, but I can’t ensure my contribution to this dilemma will promise any sort of positive outcome.
Kaito:
Miku is scary
Len:
that is… relieving to hear. somewhat. thank you
Rin walked into class the following day with a worried expression on her face. She parked herself next to Len’s desk, and waited for him to rise from his daily 10-minute-morning-nap.
He squinted at her a moment before rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. “Morning. Can I help you, Rin?”
She frowned and pulled up a chair to his desk, leaning in close as if about to engage in some secret conversation. “Good morning. I just wanted to ask you something.”
There was that split moment of panic where Len thought Miku had dropped the bomb and told her everything, but made better judgment of the situation: she wouldn’t be so calm if such a thing happened.
He quirked an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“Miku told me not to call you, like, my brother or whatever,” Rin said, scowling at her words. She was sort of angry; he could tell by the way she was twisting a strand of hair, almost yanking it out of her scalp. Ouch. “She said it was weird and sort of like… offensive, apparently? And like you probably don’t really like it?”
Len cleared his throat. Well, Miku was right, but he didn’t know whether he wanted to admit the truth. “Uh…” he said, glancing around the room for help. No Miku, Kaito nor Meiko were in sight. Hmm. “It’s not that I don’t like it… it’s just that… it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”
A lot. A lot uncomfortable.
Rin’s mouth twitched. “Why?”
“Because I’m not your brother,” he said.
“Well,” she said, twisting and twisting and twisting her hair. “It’s just that… we’re really close and we’ve practically grown up together. So I just see you as a brother figure. Is that bad?”
Len swallowed. “Uh, not exactly, but um, I…” he trailed off, averting his gaze to the floor. He was floundering around, trying to think of saying anything but the fact that he was a big fluffy pile of goop for her. It was proving very difficult with his two brain cells. “I just… I don’t see you as a sister. I see you as my friend. A very, very good friend. A super close friend.”
Rin stared at him a moment, before squeaking, “Alright.”
He immediately had a rush of guilt. It was clearly not alright. He reached out to pull her hand from her hair before she twisted herself bald, and she gave him this look of surprise, like he wasn’t allowed to touch her.
“Um,” he said. “I mean, I’m not… mad at you for seeing me as a brother. You can… keep seeing that if you really want to. I, uh, can’t stop you, I guess.”
Rin’s eyelids fluttered as she looked away. “Right. Yeah. It’s just awkward because it’s not like, mutual, or whatever.”
Now you know how I feel.
Len scratched at his head, groaning inwardly. He’d walked himself into a corner. His discomfort with making Rin feel bad made everything backfire miserably, and now he wanted to kick himself.
“I mean, I consider you one of my closest friends, and I would tell you anything. Just because I don’t see you as a, uh, relative, it doesn’t mean you’re any less significant and important to me than I am to you.”
She sighed. “I guess you have a point. I’m just being stupid.”
He shook his head. “You’re not.”
Rin shrugged her shoulders and looked like she wanted to disagree, but said no more. A few seconds passed in silence, before she stood from her chair and started to drag it back to its home.
At that moment, Len acted on impulse and stupidity. His hand reached out to hers and grabbed it, prompting her to turn back to look at him with raised eyebrows.
“Um,” he spluttered. “I like you.”
Rin blinked. “What?”
“I like you,” he repeated. “As a friend, I mean.” That last part was not supposed to be said.
She gave him a weird expression. “Uh, thanks? I like you too, Len.”
Not trusting his mouth to say anything useful, Len just smiled and nodded. Inside, he wanted to die.
Once Rin walked off, he put his head in his hands and let out the world’s biggest sigh.
“So you told her you like her as a friend, huh,” Miku said, appearing from some crack in the hallway on the way to fifth period.
Len squawked, before the reminder of that morning’s shenanigans hit him like a blow to the mouth. “It—I—uhhhh—”
Miku just snickered at him, and he gave a sullen look. She let it drop, clearing her throat. “Sorry. I just had to keep that in when Rin told me. She was so, so innocently confused.”
“I’m honestly suffering,” Len said.
“We know.” She shot him a sympathetic expression.
He hugged his textbooks close to his chest and burrowed his chin into them, looking like a lovelorn 12-year-old. “So. What do we do next?”
Miku winced. “I don’t know,” she said. “At this stage, I think she’s becoming… a little suspicious. Everyone’s been acting kind of weird. So have you. I mean, I like you as a friend isn’t something you just blurt out like a confession.”
Len’s cheeks burned. “Yeah, well, I’m a fool, but even I know that.”
She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder with a serious look. They had stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Maybe you’re just going to have to confess to her.”
He almost cried. “Oh no. Not you too.”
“I’m sorry, Len,” Miku said. “But I think, if you want this to get anywhere, you’re going to have to just… go all in.”
Len groaned up to the ceiling, shook off her hand and turned away to continue on down the hallway. “I’m giving up already,” he said over his shoulder at her, before walking off to class.
She didn’t bother pursuing.
Rin:
len what answer did you get for q. 76 on today’s math homework
Len:
42
Rin:
kool. thanx.
Len:
np
also rin
I have a question
Rin:
what’s up bro
Len:
actually nvm I forgot
I’ll ask you tomorrow
Rin:
??
ok
Len almost flushed his phone down the toilet. “What’s up bro,” he grumbled into his hands. “Why did she—ugh.”
He rolled over in his bed and switched off his lamp.
Rin knocked on his desk, shaking him from his nap. He lifted his head, and almost put it back down again when he saw her hand planted on the top of his desk.
“Good morning sunshine,” she said. She was snickering about something. Her hand gestured to the side of her face. “You’ve got a bit of, uh… crusty saliva on your cheek.”
Len frowned, reaching up to rub it off. “Why are you here so early?” he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall behind her. It was barely even eight. She usually breezed through the classroom doors around 8:15.
She stole the desk chair from in front of him, sitting on it backwards to face him. “You left me hanging last night. I was dying to know what question you wanted to ask.” When he gave her a blank look, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you still don’t remember?”
He scratched at his chin. Of course he remembered. He never forgot in the first place. “Er, yeah, that’s right. My question.”
Rin leaned forward in the chair, cupping her face in her hands. “So… question. What was it?”
“Um.” Was he really going to do this? In the homeroom classroom at 7:54 in the morning, while a good chunk of his brain was still in standby mode? Well. Yeah. He was, apparently. He coughed into his fist and licked his lips. “Right, uh, so… I really—”
“Rin! ” The two of them jumped in their seats, startled. “Oh, you’re just the person I need right now.” The voice of a classmate interrupted before he could even get his question out. A flustered Luka Megurine came running over. “Gumi blew up the science classroom again, can you come and help us clean up?”
Even Rin looked somewhat annoyed, but plastered a complacent smile on her lips. “Um, yeah, sure.” Before she could get another word out, Luka already had her by the wrist, dragging her out of the classroom.
Rin glanced back at him apologetically and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ .
Len wanted to flip his desk. Was the universe against him doing this? Trying to protect his fragile heart? Did he have to jump through hoops to get a simple confession out?
Instead of wreaking havoc on his surroundings, he just settled for letting his head drop to the desk with a loud thud.
Kaito:
any luck son
Len:
rin/len is the world’s notp
Miku:
RIP
Rin didn’t seem to follow up on their morning conversation at lunch. Either she had forgotten, or she had just given up on asking about it.
That was fine.
(Was it? Was it really? )
It was yet again another Monday afternoon, so Music club began without her presence. Thus, his friends’ minds were running wild.
“Okay, so, we all get up and leave the room,” Miku was saying. “Like, Oh sorry Rin we just remembered we ALL forgot to hand in our term paper or something stupid like that. I don’t even care. But Len just stays sitting. So it’s only the two of them in the room.”
Len had his head down, massaging his temples. He didn’t even want to be there anymore.
“And then he gets down on one knee like he’s proposing,” Kaito interjected. “And he confesses.”
“I’m not getting down on one knee. That would just be stupid. She’d probably kick me in the face.”
“Isn’t that what you want, Len?”
Len shot a glare at Kaito, who was sniggering to himself in the corner.
“Or maybe—” Miku’s face lit up, like she had a brilliant idea. “Maybe we can all get ready with our instruments, and start playing a romantic song when she walks in, and Len can serenade her.”
“Miku, you and I both know too well the fact that Rin would freak out and probably sock me if we pulled something like that,” Len said.
Her shoulders sagged. “Yeah. You’re right.”
He sat back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. “Besides,” he said, “do we even know if she likes someone? Is there any chance of her liking me? It’s just not worth all the trouble of us doing something big like that if she’s only going to turn me down. I’d rather just experience that in private.”
Miku, Meiko and Kaito all exchanged glances. “Well,” Miku said, twisting a ponytail in her hands. “She has admitted, like, once that she likes someone. But no one knows who, of course. That girl holds secrets like they’re her lifeline.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, though.”
“Yeah, but—”
The argument stopped there as the classroom door opened and Rin came running in, almost crashing into Miku, who was standing in front of the doorway.
Everyone looked at her, and she stared back. Her fists curled. “Seriously guys, why do you keep giving me strange looks whenever I come in here?”
“No reason,” Miku said, albeit suspicious. She then pretended—with the worst acting ever—to be surprised. She gasped and held up her hands to her face. “Oh no! I forgot to hand in my Biology paper. I’ll see you later.”
She skated around Rin and disappeared out the door.
Len retained face-palming and looked to Meiko and Kaito expectantly, who were looking at each other, having a secret mental conversation.
You go next. No, you go next. Whatever, I’ll go fucking next.
“Oh no,” Kaito said, standing up with the most deadpan expression ever. “I have a tummy ache.” He ran out of the room.
Rin blinked, opening her mouth to say something, but Meiko swooped in with, “Oh no, I don’t want to be here.”
She then walked out.
Only Len remained, glued to his chair, staring at the carpet as he registered what just happened.
“Uh,” Rin said, her knees walking into his line of vision. “What’s going on? Why did everyone just leave? Are you guys pulling a prank on me or something?”
Len lifted his head with a sigh. “It’s not a prank.”
She frowned, before taking a seat beside him. “ Okay, well… What’s wrong?”
He really didn’t want to do this. At all. But there he was, alone, in a room with Rin. His friends would probably never let him live it down if he walked out of the room without something to say. He didn’t have a choice to back out of this situation at this stage.
“Well,” Len said, averting his gaze to the window so he wouldn’t have to look at her face. “You like someone, right? Miku said you like someone.”
Rin blinked at him, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes dropped to her knees. “Oh. Er, yeah. I do.” A beat of silence passed, before she asked, “Does this have to do with that question you’ve been meaning to ask?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t like the hear of that. But he didn’t look at her, still. “Who is it?”
Rin was quiet, before she laughed nervously. “You… are you serious? You can’t just outright ask me a question like that, Len.”
Len finally forced himself to look at her. She was fidgeting with her hands in her lap, the tips of her ears red. “I’m serious,” he said. “And I can ask you a question like that. So—who? ”
She gaped, before her eyes narrowed. “You first.”
Len opened his mouth. “Huh. ”
Rin nudged his shoulder with her fist, her lips twisting, like she was suppressing a smile. “I’ll tell you who if you tell me who you like, first.”
“Oh.” His cheeks grew warm. She was chewing on her bottom lip, jiggling her legs in her seat. Her look was somewhat of triumph, like she knew he wouldn’t agree to it. But it didn’t matter. He had already planned to tell her, anyway.
“I like you,” he said simply.
Rin’s legs stopped jiggling. She raised an eyebrow. Lips parted, like she was about to pose a question.
He beat her to it. “I like you,” he repeated. His face was burning. On fire, actually. “Not as a friend. Or a sister. Not like that. It’s more than that.”
She just stared at him. Eventually, she just said a very tiny, “Oh.”
So that was that.
That was it. He confessed. Nothing happened.
Cool. Cool. Cool.
Len wanted to cry a little, but he forced a nonchalant expression as he asked, “So, what about you?”
Rin just sat there, frozen for a while. It was like her brain was connected to shitty internet and she was buffering. Eventually, her shoulders began to shake, and a hand went to her mouth.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
She was… laughing.
She was… laughing?
He gawked at her, confused. Just—what? She wiped at tears in her eyes and lowered her hand, before saying, “I’m such an idiot.”
Len mumbled, “Huh.”
Rin reached up to smooth down her bangs, fixing her hair, scratching at a spot on her temple. Her lips twitched up into a smile. “I’ve been such an idiot. You—you’re dead obvious, and yet I’ve been…” She shook her head. “You’ve been trying to—everyone’s been trying to—but I’ve just been—”
She was thinking aloud, dropping the ends of her sentences and leaving him hanging, snickering and eyes flitting about the room. He didn’t know how to feel—mortified? Afraid? Concerned? Was she having a mental breakdown? Had he broken Rin?
“Um…” he tried, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Dragging you into an underwear store—no wonder you looked like you wanted the ground to swallow you up,” she continued, now directing her gaze to him. “The whole Miku thing, don’t call Len your brother, it’s kind of mean. Yeah. I get it now.”
Len was on the battlefield, and Rin was driving the sword deeper into his wound. Okay, yeah, we get it, he wanted to say. So, like, can we move on from you stomping on my heart metaphorically, or…
She took a breath, finding a sense of calm in amongst her hysteria. Her fists curled in her lap, bunching up the fabric of her skirt. His eyes went to the skin of her thighs, before they bounced back up to her face, mentally cursing now is not the time, you horny bastard.
“I’m sorry,” she said, genuine. His heart sank in his chest. Here comes the rejection. “I’ve been such a fool, Len.”
He reached up to adjust his collar, too tight around his neck as he swallowed. “Yeah, so, um, anyway, now that that’s over with—”
For the upteenth time, Rin interrupted him. This time, it wasn’t with words. She just launched herself out of her chair and planted her mouth on his.
Len yelped, shocked by the sudden movement, but melted soon thereafter as he registered her warm lips moving against his own. Her hands were on either side of him, gripping to the back of the chair. Her leg lifted as she leaned in to him, knee resting on the seat of the chair in the space between his legs.
His eyes fluttered closed, and his hand reached up to the back of her head, pushing her closer. His other hand went to her waist, pulling her forward onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, mouth parting to let her wet tongue run against his bottom lip.
He let her in, and couldn’t help a moan escape from his throat.
Rin chuckled into his mouth—he could feel her smile. A hand went to his chest, trailing down to his stomach, and kept edging further down…
Oh boy.
Len pulled away for a breather, stopping her hand before it could wander anywhere else. They were still in the music room. Making out. He was not about to get to third base with her in a classroom.
She was red down to her neck, lips glistening wet and swollen. Her breath was hot and fanned his cheeks.
“What,” he said to her, still utterly confused about what had just happened.
Rin pressed her forehead against his. “You know, I was only kidding when I said you wouldn’t get to see it on me.”
It was like his head had been stuffed full of cotton buds. Her voice was muffled. He was dazed. “See what on you,” he mumbled, not quite catching on.
“The lingerie,” she said with a laugh. “If you’d asked, I wouldn’t have said no.”
His face was warm. His lips tingled. “Oh. Oh.”
“I thought you just weren’t interested. In me, I mean.” Her hands moved to his shoulders, her mouth getting closer to his once more.
“What about the whole brother thing,” he blurted. She pulled away, surprised. The mood died a little. He licked his lips, craving more. “You know… uh. You made it seem like you really weren’t… into me, with that.”
Rin looked away. “Um… well. It sounds weird. Gross, actually. You know. I just… had it in my head we weren’t going to get any closer. That you just wanted to stay friends. But I… wanted to be more than friends. I guess, the brother thing was all me trying to… make us more than friends. Even if it was in the complete opposite direction I wanted to go with our relationship.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Yeah, that’s very weird, Rin.”
She slapped a hand against his chest, embarrassed. “Shut up. I was desperate. Really desperate. I just wanted to feel closer to you.”
Len couldn’t help but smile at her words. It was cute. Albeit strange. And gross.
“Anyway,” Rin said. Her face was closing in again. “Since no one else is here, wanna skip club and come to mine?”
Wow. She was really. She wasn’t even holding back just a bit.
Len nodded. Of course he did. It would be crazy if he didn't. Why did she even ask. He was basically her bitch.
She kissed him on the mouth again, and he let himself melt into her embrace.
Well, that went a whole lot better than expected.
fin
Len was sitting on her bed later that afternoon, shooting some texts off to Kaito, Miku and Meiko to let them know: mission accomplished ;). He then turned off his data, knowing too well they’d spend the rest of the evening blowing up his phone, and—well.
He had better things to attend to.
Rin padded into her room with a tray, balancing two glasses of orange juice and a bowl of assorted snacks. She kicked her door closed behind her and set them aside on her desk.
“So everyone knows about your crush, huh,” she said, leaning against the wall to yank her socks off.
Len watched shamelessly as she lifted her leg, catching a glimpse of the short-shorts she had on underneath.
God damn it, Rin.
“I was on my knees trying to figure you out,” he said. “Like, of course I confided in them—you were taking me into lingerie stores and then calling me your brother.”
Rin grinned, tossing her socks into the corner and walking over to sit next to him on the bed. “Look, I get it. I’m all over the place—I know. I’d probably do the same if I were you.”
Len rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Rin. I was adamant you had no interest in me.”
“Well, you’re wrong.” She reached up to start unbuttoning her shirt. “I’m very interested in you.”
He watched her, the skin on his face turning a dark shade of read. “What are you—what are you doing?”
“You want to see it, right?”
“Want to see what?” Your boobs?
Rin stopped to give him this look, but then continued. He caught a glimpse of a familiar material, peaking through. Oh. “The lingerie, you half-baked cookie.”
Len swallowed, trying to keep his cool. “Of course I do.”
She shouldered off her shirt. His eyes went as wide as saucers.