"Wait, what?"

"Hey, that's my line," Rin pouted. She let go of Nero's hands and crossed her arms over her chest. Avoiding eye contact she mumbled, "I like you, okay? Please don't make me regret telling you that."

"Rin, I don't know what to say . . . ," Nero said quietly.

"After what you put me through, you get the answer you want and you have nothing to say?!" Blinking back tears, Rin asked, "It's because you're disappointed, isn't it?"

"What?" Nero furrowed his brows. "Why would I be disappointed?"

Kicking the air, Rin replied, "Because after the heartfelt speech you gave about liking me, the one I gave is very lame in comparison."

"Do you honestly think that matters?" Nero asked as he risked getting his arm ripped off by placing a comforting hand on Rin's shoulder. She didn't tear off his limb. So far so good.

"Of course it matters," Rin answered, still refusing to look Nero in the eyes. "Everything you said had so much heart and meaning, and it's obvious you spent so much time understanding what you feel for me. I didn't know what it is I feel for you until last night, and try as I might I couldn't put those feelings into words. You care so much for me, and I can't even return your feelings properly. I'm a failure."

"No, you're not," Nero said. Rin lifted her gaze in order to see if he was serious. When her cerulean eyes meet his golden ones, Nero continued, "I think you did a wonderful job telling me how you feel."

"But I said you're annoying and called you a creep," Rin whispered.

"Just means that you're not blind to my flaws," Nero shrugged with a smile.

"Well what about my flaws?" Rin asked. "Do you think I have any?"

"Think? No Rin, I know you have flaws," Nero answered. "You're loud, prideful, pretty selfish, violent, a horrible liar-"

"Okay, I'm a screwed up person, I get it," Rin cut him off.

Grinning from ear to ear, Nero added, "Also, when you laugh really hard, you snort. I don't count that as a flaw though. I think you have a cute snort."

"Okay, now I know for a fact that you're weird," Rin giggled, her moist eyes drying up.

"But as you said," Nero continued, "with everyone dislike there is another like that outweighs it. Need I repeat any of them?"

Humming with thought, Rin replied, "Nah, I should probably work on the whole pride flaw you mentioned earlier, so getting a big head doesn't sound like a good start." Holding out her hand, Rin interlaced her fingers with Nero's and said, "I like you."

"Will you like me when I hit the point in my teenage life when I'm covered in zits?" Nero challenged with a smile.

"Yes," Rin replied, a smile upon her own face.

"Will you still like me when I have my awkward moments?"

"Absolutely."

"How about when I have to shave twice a day?"

"Only if you promise to still like me even when I forget to shave."

"Girls don't need to shave," Nero said, brows furrowed together.

"That proves how little you know about us women," Rin waved their joined hands back and forth. "I promise I will still like you when you're a zitty faced hairy gorilla with a horrid stench that not even Febreez can mask."

"Hey!" Nero exclaimed but still laughed.

"However," Rin leaned in closer, "you still have to like me when I'm the one who's the zitty faced hairy gorilla with a horrid stench that not even Febreez can mask."

"Okay," Nero didn't hesitate to say. He liked Rin so much that he couldn't imagine not liking her. She had such a strong sense of who she was and loved herself unconditionally, and that was what truly made her beautiful.

"Do you really like me that much?" Rin asked.

"I really, really, really like you," Nero answered.

"What did I say about three reallys?"

"Juliet was thirteen, she loved Romeo, and they both died. Not to be paranoid, but I think we can save the love business for when we're older."

"Deal, but did you really have to spoil Romeo and Juliet?"

"Rin, the play is the most popular play of all time, EVERYONE knows how it ends."

"I didn't."

"Well now you do."

Rin playfully pouted. "Anything else you want to spoil for me?" she asked.

"Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father," Nero answered.

Gasping, Rin let out a fake exaggerated, "No!"

"That you already knew? I thought you hated Star Wars."

"Who says I hate Star Wars?"

"Len when he told me that he can never watch Star Wars when you're around because you loathe the movies."

"Len's a blabber mouth," Rin said. "Speaking of which," she mused, "he and Miku should be on their first date right now."

"Well come on then," Nero pulled Rin along as he began to run.

Running to keep up with the sprinting boy, Rin asked, "What are we doing?"

"How would you like to spend our first date crashing your twin brother's own first date?" was how Nero chose to answer.

A wicked grin spreading across her face, Rin replied, "I can tell right now that you're the only one for me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the semester was the very opposite of the first for the two teens. Instead of Nero persisting in asking Rin to walk to class with him and Rin making up the worst excuses imaginable to avoid him, the two were seen together every chance they got. They held hands as they walked to class, ate lunch together with the new couple Miku and Len, and spent every school event by each other's side. Rin even walked next to Nero as he played his trumpet between classes, visible proof of their sudden change in relationship.

The summer passed in a blur, and soon freshman year started. As usual Rin and Nero held hands as often as they could and ate lunch together like always. When introducing Rin to a new person Nero would always call her his girlfriend, and vice versa. Everyone in the whole school knew that Rin and Nero were an item, as the same with Rin's twin brother and his girlfriend Miku. None of the older students took the couple seriously, or at least not until their sophomore year started and the duo was still going strong.

Rin and Nero never went to a homecoming dance with anyone but each other, and they remained inseparable as they started their second year of high school. As they promised the day they expressed their mutual feelings for each other, Rin still liked Nero when he had his first of many massive breakouts, and Nero liked Rin even when she forgot to shave as she normally did when the weather suddenly went from freezing cold to sweltering hot. By this point Rin knew that she really, really liked Nero, and said boy still held fast to his three reallys.

Then came the twins' sixteenth birthday. It was a small gathering for family and close friends, but that didn't stop the event from being complete with formal attire and delicate hors d'oeuvres. Rin's mom took her shopping for a pretty dress for the event, Miku accompanying to help Rin find something that looked nice. After hours spent dress shopping - a difficult task given Rin's preferences - the blonde settled with a coral dress with silver cross straps and attached belt on the waist. Since the dress completely reached the floor, Rin decided to wear sneakers over heels since nobody would see her feet anyway.

"If you burn me with that, Miku I swear-"

"Calm down, Rin. I'm not going to burn you." Miku gathered a strand of blonde hair and wrapped it in the hot curling iron. "As long as you remain perfectly still I promise you won't get hurt."

"I can feel the iron next to my scalp," Rin said.

"You're fine," Miku assured her as she waited the appropriate amount of time for Rin's hair to curl. She had arrived early to help Rin prepare for the mini party in the Kagamine backyard, and she was currently curling Rin's hair as said girl applied make-up.

"My hair had better not burn off," Rin said as she rubbed the foundation Miku lent her all over her face.

"If you're going to keep complaining I'm just going to stop and let you have a curled left side and straight right side," Miku grumbled.

"Suits me fine," Rin replied as she set aside the foundation and reached for the powder.

"You're impossible," Miku muttered.

"Is that why I'm your best friend?" Rin giggled.

"You may want to decide against teasing me while I have a hot iron in my hands," Miku warned. That shut Rin up.

"Hey girls," Len called as he entered the room.

"Can't you knock?" Rin growled as she spread the ivory make-up on her cheeks and forehead.

"Rin, you left the door wide open," Len nonchalantly pointed out.

"Never mind that," Miku said as she set down the iron. "You want something, Sweetie?"

Rin made a gagging gesture and sound at Miku's calling Len "Sweetie." Both teens glared at the blonde, but she didn't care. As cool as Rin was with her best friend dating her twin brother, she would not put up with any of that mushy gushy garbage.

Ignoring Rin, Len said, "Mom wants to know if you can help her, Dad, and me set up."

"On my birthday?" Rin whined.

"It's my birthday too, and you don't see me complaining," Len narrowed his eyes.

"We'll be down after I finish curling Rin's hair," Miku said as she picked the iron back up.

"How badly do you need the help?" Rin asked, remaining perfectly still as Miku curled another strand of hair.

"Not too bad, but bad enough," Len answered. "Mom forgot to buy streamers last time she was at the store, and she wants me to go with her to pick them out."

"She doesn't need to go to the store," Rin said. "We don't have to have streamers. I think they're overkill, anyway."

"We also need icing for the cake."

"Then what are you waiting for?! Get Mom and head out to the store immediately!"

"I have an idea," Miku suggested. "Have Nero come over to help. He's not doing anything, is he?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Rin asked.

"For starters, he's your boyfriend," Miku answered, furrowing her brows.

"Which is exactly why he didn't tell me what he was doing today," Rin said as she put away the face powder and reached for the eye shadow set. With the make-up on her lap, Rin pulled her cell - she got the sense to ask for her own phone for her birthday last year - out of her jeans pocket and tossed it to her brother, who caught it with ease. "Hit the call back button and my phone should dial Nero's number," Rin said as she examined the eye shadow and tried to decide which shades she wanted to use. "You might be able to get something out of him, Brother."

Instead of responding, Len did exactly what Rin told him to do. After pressing call back, Len held the phone to ear. Nero must of picked up right away, because almost immediately after receiving Rin's cell Len screwed up his face and said, "Ew. Gosh Nero, this is Len. Is that seriously how you talk to my sister?"

"What's he talking about?" Miku asked Rin before releasing another freshly curled strand of hair.

"Thanks to the lesson in history last Tuesday about how the Romans would execute torture by pulling out the organs and intestines of their victims while said victims were still alive, Nero and I have been having a contest to see who can come up with the most gruesome way to kill somebody," Rin answered. "By the look on Len's face, I think Nero just told him a good one." Nero must have been explaining the same to Len, for the blond twin stood silent as Nero spoke on the other end.

"Good? Don't you mean disturbing?" Miku questioned. "I think Len's gonna throw up."

"Disturbing is good, sister," Rin said as she brushed her right eyelid with a light brown.

"Geez," Len said after Nero apparently stopped talking, "why don't you just marry Rin right now?"

"WHAT?!" Rin exclaimed, snapping her head in Len's direction and just barely avoiding getting burned by the hot iron. Len only waved Rin off before exiting the room. With her brother gone, Rin looked Miku's way and asked, "Why on earth would Len say something like that?"

"Hmmm, I don't know," Miku pretended to muse the answer, tapping her chin for effect. "Maybe because when we were in the eight grade you told Len and me to get married so that you and Nero would be siblings-in-law."

"Not that the plan would have worked," Rin mumbled. "Mikuo and Neru broke up three weeks later."

"But in the end, didn't it work out for the better?" Miku asked as she curled one of the last strands of hair.

With a large, teeth showing smile on her face, Rin answered, "Totally."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the time between Nero being fourteen and turning sixteen the previous month, he had grown to stand at six feet tall and had his hair significantly darken from a lemon yellow to a dirty blond. Still having a passion for his musical talent, he joined the marching band during his freshman year of high school and almost immediately became the school's best trumpet player. Nero was rather popular because of this, but he somehow managed to remain socially awkward in most, if not all, situations, his signature goofy grin making up his demeanor whenever he made a fool of himself.

When Len asked Nero to help set up for the twin's party, Nero readily agreed. In twenty minutes time he arrived to the twins' home and spent the next hour hanging banners and tying balloons. "A lot of hoopla for a small party, don't you think?" Nero teased as he pinned the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIN AND LEN!" banner to the wall as Rin watched to make sure he hung it up straight.

"It's my sixteenth birthday, there isn't enough hoopla!" Rin responded, one hand placed firmly on her hip. "Speaking of which, what were you doing earlier today that is so top secret that you couldn't tell me?"

"If I tell you, then it wouldn't be a secret," Nero smirked.

"Jerk."

"I don't know why I like your not having a filter on your mouth so much, but perhaps it's because I'll never have to be left wondering what you're thinking."

"A girl that doesn't leave a guy wondering what's going on inside her head - every man's dream," Rin mumbled with an unwilling smile on her face.

"You know it," Nero smirked.

"Don't worry," Rin giggled, "I think I have every girl's dream right in front of me so we're even."

Nero frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're not scared of commitment, unlike every other guy I know," Rin answered.

"What makes you say that so confidently?"

Snorting, Rin said, "You've been using the same E-mail address since the seventh grade. If that's not commitment, I don't know what is. Oh, move that side of the banner up a little higher. There you go. That's perfect."

Once the banner was pinned to the wall and tugged twice to test the pin's strength, Nero climbed down the ladder and turned around to face Rin. "I told you once that I won't ever stop liking you, and now look where we are."

Rin's face softened. True to his words, Nero never stopped liking her, and she had never once stopped liking him. They did everything that mattered together, be it pulling pranks, celebrating events, or simply eating at a fast food restaurant because the school cafeteria was serving something less edible than what was normally served. Things between the two of them were so casual, yet at the same time they had those deep, meaningful moments. There was nothing they couldn't tell the other. Rin knew all of Nero's secrets, and he knew all of hers. They acted like best friends, teased mercilessly as a form of flirting, and had each other's backs like true partners in crime. To Rin, it was the perfect relationship.

"I really, really, really like you," Rin said, the corners of her lips reaching her ears.

"Oh, that's a shame because . . . ," Nero trailed off and turned his gaze away from Rin in favor of staring at his shoes.

"Nero, what's wrong?" Rin asked as she moved forward and rested a hand on Nero's shoulder. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes and no," Nero slowly answered. "I might have spoken too soon when I told you that I would never stop liking you."

Rin's brows pinched together as her lips slightly parted. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying . . ." Making eye contact with Rin, Nero forced the words out. "I don't like you any more!"

For a moment Rin was in a state of stunned silence, but after half a moment her dumbstruck stature wore off and she began to laugh. With her fingers of her right hand hovering over her lips, Rin said, "Good, now I feel better about lying back there."

It was Nero's turn to pinch his eyebrows together. "Wait, what?"

"I don't like you anymore, either," Rin laughed in response. She turned around in favor of taking the plastic silverware and setting the table in preparation for the food for the guests. "I haven't liked you in a while, but I didn't want to say so because I was afraid I would throw you off." Turning back around and winking at Nero, Rin added, "I know you want to say it first, so give me all you got."

With a shake of his head, Nero said, "If you know what I'm going to say, then do I really need to say it?"

"Uh, yeah," Rin snorted. "It's my birthday, so you have to tell me."

Chuckling, Nero asked, "Are you seriously going to make me do this?"

"If you don't want to then you shouldn't have brought it up," Rin answered. "Now," she meet Nero in the eyes, "tell me."

Showing teeth, Nero said, "Rin Kagamine, I don't like you. The truth is, I love you."

After a smile in satisfaction, Rin replied, "I know."

"What, that's it?" Nero teased. "Just an 'I know'? Most people respond with 'I love you.'"

"I'm not most people," Rin reminded as she straightened out the paper plates.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," Nero said as he finally decided to help Rin with setting the table.

"But since I know you want to hear it," Rin said after a while, "I love you too."

"I know," Nero grinned. Rin responded by shoving him in the shoulder.

"Come on," she then said, "everyone else is probably done decorating inside. We should get inside and finish getting our own selves ready."

"Sure," Nero began, "but Rin?"

"Hmmm?"

"I need to show you something." Without giving the blonde time to say anything, Nero wrapped his fingers around Rin's wrist and began pulling her forward.

"Where are we going?" Rin laughed as she sprinted to keep up with the running boy.

"Your front yard, duh," Nero replied as he opened the gate door and dragged Rin through it. When they rounded the corner, Rin saw Neru's red convertible parked in the front yard. She was pretty sure Nero borrowed it without permission and the only reason his cell phone wasn't blowing up with Neru demanding to know where her car is was because Nero had silenced his cell the second he arrived. "Wait right here," Nero said as he held his hands up as if Rin were a dog he was commanding to stay.

"Hurry up then," Rin said as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot for a humorous effect.

Nero held up a finger to signal "one minute" before turning around and opening the driver's side door. He crawled inside before shifting his upper body into the back seat and began rummaging over piles upon piles of stuff. Neru wasn't exactly keen on keeping her vehicle clean, as Rin was well aware.

"Found it!" Nero cheered as he came back out of the car and shut the door. In his hand was a little black velvet box.

"Please tell me you're not proposing," Rin rose an eyebrow. She had genuinely meant it when she told Nero that she loved him, but marriage was the last thing on her mind at this point. She technically wasn't even sixteen yet, not to mention.

"What? No," Nero shook his head. "Didn't we agree that neither of us plan to marry until we're at least twenty-five?" Rin bit her lip. She had forgotten about that, but she decided against mentioning such. "However, I can see why you would think that." Nero weighted the box in his hand. "It is a little small to contain what it's holding."

"I will be the judge of that," Rin smiled as she snatched the box out of Nero's hand. She waited for Nero to scold her and tell her to wait until it was time for her and Len to open presents, but when he didn't say anything Rin assumed that she was supposed to open the gift then. Lifting the top, Rin was awed by what she found inside. She pulled the object out and held it eye level. "A charm bracelet?"

"I know you're not into jewelry, but you hold sentimental value to a lot of things. See?" Nero began pointing out the charms. "This charm represents painting, because I know you love to paint. This one is for Gemini, and since you and Len are so close I thought you would like having the twin constellation on the bracelet. This one is your birth stone, and this charm matches the one Len gave Miku on her past birthday to add to her own charm bracelet. He and I coordinated that because we thought you two should have matching charms."

"Nero . . . I don't know what to say." Rin continued to gawk at the bracelet. "What about this one? The heart with the rainbow jewel in the center."

Grinning, Nero responded, "Guess."

Rubbing her thumb over the charm, Rin said, "I suppose this is a reminder of the day you bought that rainbow quartz for me, the day I realized that I liked you back after all."

"Exactly," Nero smiled.

"I love it. Thank you." Rin and Nero made eye contact, and for a moment Rin just wanted to kiss him.

She didn't, though.

Shortly before they started high school, Rin told Nero that she didn't want to kiss a boy until her wedding night, and Nero was all too happy to agree to the plan. "I waited for nearly two years for you to tell me that you like me," he had said as response, "and I would still be waiting if that's what you want. I don't care how long it takes, I only want to do things slowly and when we're both ready." Admittedly, there were times Rin was tempted to kiss Nero, but she never did. Nothing was going to be rushed. They wanted to everything happen naturally enough that it felt like breathing, and that mutual agreement was what the two of them liked most about their relationship.

"I think you need to start getting ready," Nero said after the two of them had been standing in place for a moment or two too long.

"Same with you," Rin replied. "I hope you have something nice to wear stuffed under of all Neru's things."

"Don't worry about me, I came prepared," Nero said. "Now hurry up before your guests start arriving."

"Will do." Rin stood on her toes and planted a kiss on Nero's cheek - they agreed on cheek kisses, because who doesn't like cheek kisses? - before skipping back inside. "See ya inside!" she threw over her shoulder.

"Will do." Grinning, Nero added, "And I hope you don't have too many plans for the music tonight. I have a trumpet solo I want to play for you and Len for your birthday!"

"Don't you dare!" Rin laughed, knowing full well that Nero was not going to listen to her on that.

Author's Note: I feel as if I deserve the Most Awful Person of the Week award. I wrote this finishing chapter ages ago, then forgot all about it. Just straight up forgot. I'm not even going to use all the tests I had to study for as an excuse. As a writer my work should not be easily forgotten like it isn't important, and as an author with tens of readers (roughly speaking) I can't let my readers down. I'm so, so sorry for not finishing this sooner.

Er, moving on . . .

B.A.G-Gomez: Time to plan? HAHAHAHAHA! *slaps knee* *doubles over* *snorts* Bro, a great majority of this fanfic was written while I was lying in bed, half asleep, and typing away on my Kindle Notes app; when I woke up in the morning, I didn't even remember writing half of it! I guess my thumbs just know how to write good dialogue.

Shino No Mikaga No Kudotaka: YES SHE FINALLY DID! :D *throws confetti with you*

Lil' Sis Neko-Chan: Don't call Len-Kun a wimp! D: *hugs Len so tightly that he can't breath and turns blue* I love that he's wimpy looking, so don't be mean! BTW, THIS is the end. :)

So . . . that beith it. . . . Bye everyone! I hope you enjoyed this RinXNero fanfic! ^.^

-Ray