Work Text:
Kagamine Len was sitting by the hearth one snowy night, trying to keep his stiff body warm. Just as he was zoning out, he heard a knock on his front door. He was genuinely confused, as no one ever came to see him. Hell, hardly anyone knew of his existence. He stood up and stumbled up to the sliding door, opening it. Standing before him was a short hooded figure, who then removed its hood and looked up at Len. It appeared to be the figure was a woman about his age. His eyes widened as he looked her up and down from the roots of her golden blonde hair and down to the red trim of her white kimono.
“May I help you, miss?” He stuttered nervously.
Why would someone be visiting him, and why would it be a woman this beautiful?
She gently smiled up at him, speaking ever so bluntly.
"You saved my life, so I have come to repay you.
Len stumbled back in surprise and confusion. He could not remember ever saving her, much less meeting her before.
“Miss, forgive me, but I think you have the wrong house.”
The small woman shook her head and looked up at him with a relatively surprised expression.
“No, I don't believe that I do. May I come in to explain? It’s quite cold outside..”
Len smiled nervously, noting the heavy snow falling from the night sky. He didn't have it in him to tell her no because of her noticeable shivering. The weather was just too dangerous outside that night for someone to dress the way she was.
“Y-Yes! By all means, please come in."
The woman thanked him and stepped inside. He led her to his main room to warm her up while he went to prepare some fresh tea. As he got some water boiling, he couldn't help but wonder. Who the hell was she? Did he actually save her life? None of what she was saying made sense to him. Len finished preparing the tea and poured it into two cups. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, offering her one of the cups.
“Ah, thank you!" She chirped and gently took it from him.
Their hands briefly touched, which caused his face to heat up with blush that was almost enough to protect him from the cold outside. After the woman took a sip, she spoke up.
"I’m sure you may be curious about who I am. After all, I did show up unannounced deep into the night.”
Len nodded, unable to tear his gaze from her gentle face.
"Do you remember saving a crane and watching it take flight into the sky?" She spoke softly.
Len did remember that and was quickly coming to conclusions. No way could she be that crane. Yet, no one knew that he had done that. He slowly nodded.
“Whatever you are thinking is correct, even if it is absurd.” Based on the expression that she made after saying this, it seemed like she was afraid of making him uncomfortable. Len was indeed a bit concerned, but he subsided it.
“W-Well.. it is rather absurd to me, yes.. but it's nothing I can’t work with.”
He gave her a nervous smile as he paused for a moment.
“Do you have a name, miss?”
She looked up from her cup and nodded..
"It's Rin. How about yours?”
Len stammered as the words trickled from his chapped lips, just in complete awe of her beauty..
“Kagamine Len. Truly a pleasure to meet you."
God, his face was still aflame with cherry red blush. What the hell was this feeling? Len had never felt this way for anyone before, so why was this happening now? He watched her daintily sip her tea, then gazed into the flames of the hearth. It was silent for a moment until he heard Rin speak up again.
“Len, forgive me for this abrupt request, but would it be okay if I stayed with you?" She paused. "As I've said already, it is cold outside.” Her sentence trailed off as she looked down at the tea table .
His eyes widened as his gaze shot back to her and the poor guy nearly dropped his half-empty cup of tea. Dear god. This mysterious woman wanted to stay with him, even if they hardly knew each other. Wasn’t that scandalous? He thought about her words, his thoughts racing. It was indeed freezing outside, so what else could he say but yes?? Len would rather her be safe from the bitter cold, so he sighed softly. Perhaps a little while wouldn't hurt.
"I don't mind that. Though, there isn't a spare room..”
Oh dear, this meant Rin was going to have to sleep with him. His entire body was burning and prickling at this point. Additionally, his anxiety was now going through the roof.
“Thank you so much! It’s such a relief to hear.” Rin smiled softly up at him.
Len rubbed his neck shyly, though he still smiled. After about two hours of talking and getting to know each other, his eyelids were gradually beginning to droop. He yawned and looked at her while trying to keep his weary eyes open. He had asked her if she was ready for bed, to which she had yawned softly as well since, of course, that is contagious.
Another soft yawn came from the small woman who was swaying and nodding in place. Len chuckled, getting up to put the fire out. He repeatedly poked the fire with the iron rod and spread the ashes over the glowing embers. Once he managed to extinguish the fire, he turned and looked at her with a wary gaze.
“Follow me, alright? My room is this way.”
Len anxiously led her down the hall and up to his room, then opened the sliding door. He stepped inside and crumbled into his bed, patting the spot beside him. Rin stood in place for a moment before slowly crawling down into the blankets beside him.
"Goodnight, Len."
"Mm. Goodnight, Rin." Len got himself comfortable as he listened to the howling wind and swaying of tree branches outside his window. He looked over at her after a while, confirming that she was no longer awake. Before long, he felt cold as something nestled into his side. Of course, it was none other than the touch of his guest. He knew she was doing that because she craved warmth in this chilled room, but she was still touching him. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he hesitated about what he would do. After a moment, he decided to wrap his arms around her so that he could keep her warm. Len figured that she was not used to the feeling of the cold nipping at her bare skin, as her true form was a crane, He assumed that if she had known about this, that she would start yelling at him. However, little did Len know, Rin was smiling softly in her sleep. He had been hit with a wave of restlessness, so he lay awake while his mind spiraled into deep thought about everything that had happened during the night. To Len, it felt like a fever dream. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was to wake up and find that this was all a figment of his imagination. There was no way this was real. His arms were still encasing the shivering crane woman, so he used his toes to pinch his other foot. Ouch. Len gulped as he came to understand that this was very real. He truly did had a gorgeous girl staying with him, laying fast asleep in his arms with her face buried into his warm, broad chest. He could not help but think what the coming days would bring him. Was Len always going to feel like this?? Was he always going to notice a burning sensation every time he talked to her? The answers to his questions were beyond him. However, he was still grateful that she came and knocked on his door. He certainly never cared for people, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a little lonely at times. He imagined what life would be like from now on. Would there be more nights where Len could get to hold her?? Len hoped so, even if this was new to him. As nervous as he felt, it felt comforting. Their bodies against each other certainly kept them warm during this snowy night. Len thought to himself, thinking that he could get used to this. Before long, he finally grew tired once more. His eyes slowly closed, and off to a peaceful dream of him and the crane he went.