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[If Harumasa hadn't been certain of Ragna's feelings towards him before, he sure as hell is now. He just doesn't know the kind of power he really wields over this man (9). Like right this second.

The young archer waits for a moment to get the other man's reply. When it doesn't come, he blinks curiously.]

Ragna?

[If there's still no answer, Harumasa will casually get up a little closer to Ragna's face.]

Earth to Ragna! Did you even hear what I said?

H-Huh?!

[Oh god, Oh god why is Harumasa deeper in his personal space bubble?! Oh God, Ragna hasn't said fuck or shit yet. Oh God, hold on he has to reboot after overheating because this man is so flushed right now.

He doesn't even realize how fucking obvious he's being.

Okay, good fucking christ, L+R+Select+Start (19).

Okay... Ragna looked aside, focusing on something on the corner of the table for just long enough to get his thoughts together. And recall what Harumasa asked him. "I'll stay the night with you, if you want."

... That didn't help the feelings, this sucks. And well. He didn't have it in him to decline.]

Y-Yeah I heard you, dammit! [only just.] If you want to... I'm not gonna stop you.

[I understood that reference.

Anyway, Harumasa looks amused by Ragna's reaction, at least. He sits back down once his 'friend' looks away and answers him. With a chuckle, the young man answers with warm, disarming sincerity.]

Then, that's what I'll do. I know it's hard, but I'm not about to let your guilt win today.

[He releases one of Ragna's hands to rest his arm casually over the back of the chair, and looks over his shoulder.]

Should probably let your brother know I'm here before he comes back.

[That sincerity is the most infuriating thing about Harumasa. Because Ragna can't just yell at it. Not anymore, anyway. Not since he saw the guy stare at the sky for hours when they first escaped.

God, what's he supposed to do...

... He'll just let Johan know what's up.]

... Yeah. I'll shoot him a text. [Just a quick Someone else is staying over tonight. While he also screams about other shit in the meanwhile.]

[Unfortunately for Ragna, it's at that moment that the door creaks open, and Jon, a plastic bag of groceries hanging off his elbow and a Yorkshire terrier trotting beside him, says:]

Niisan, I'm back, I stopped by the corner store to get...some...snacks......

[A beat.]

Niisan is that your boyfriend.

[Wow.

Absolutely no filter in this family, is there?

Still! Harumasa takes it in stride. He gives the laziest wave in the world at Jon with a grin, and subtly moves his other hand so that it's not holding Ragna's anymore. He has tact, alright.]

Hey, there~! I'm Harumasa Asaba, nice to meet you. I'm a boy and a friend of Ragna's, thanks for noticing. Just crashing here for the night 'cause I started feeling sick and weak while taking a walk earlier, and Ragna's such a good, kindhearted friend that he's let me stay until tomorrow to recover~!

[Absolutely no filter.

Only volume, shown by Ragna immediately (and while still blushing like crazy) shouts at his little brother. You'd think he wasn't just on the verge of tears at the thought of what he'd been through.

Blissfully unaware of the relative fluency in the room, Ragna's shouting starts in Swedish.]

He is NOT my BOYFRIEND, you shitheel!

[He'll take Harumasa's excuse, though.]

[Jon blinks at Harumasa, eyes narrowing briefly at him as if he's trying to figure him out. Really, it's just that he's blanking on what to say to someone who is (probably?) his brother's boyfriend. His brother. Is interested? In romance? Has a boyfriend?]

...it's a pleasure, Mr. Asaba. [A beat, as Jon struggles to recall his social niceties. Unfortunately he finds himself falling back on something Sansa said a lifetime ago, so he awkwardly adds:] Your name sounds very nice.

[Girls like it when he says they have pretty names, surely guys like it too?

To Ragna, in Swedish, volume turned up a notch:] You don't have to deny it! Just tell me next time before you invite him over, or hang a sock on the door so I don't barge into anything!

[Harumasa blinks and tilts his head slightly in curious yet cute confusion. Truly he is a cat. Though, he laughs gently when he's called 'Mr. Asaba.']

Just call me Harumasa! I'm nowhere near old enough to be a "Mr. Asaba." [But hearing someone say that, awkwardly but sincerely, Harumasa can feel his heart melt a little.] Aw, thank you. That's the nicest thing someone's ever said to me~!

[... Holy shit, though. The yelling is hereditary. Harumasa's casually going to pull out his phone.]

Uh, guys? You know I can—

[On the one hand, Ragna knew Harumasa would be nice to his baby brother and he's happy and glad even if Johan is still a bit shy.

On the other he's aboutta put this know-nothing into a headlock.]

D-Don't fucking say shit like that, are you INSANE?! Who the fuck TAUGHT you shit like that?! And anyway it's not gonna goddamn happen! I don't CARE if

["I like him", he will manage to keep a fucking lid on saying that though. Ragna A. Mercurisson, suffering from success (18 :pensive:).]

--you're grown now, hearing my little brother say that is weird!!

[English again to Harumasa, gesturing to Jon:]

That's Johan, my little shit brother that I'm about to throw into the goddamn harbor.

Call me Jon. It's, um. I'm glad to see Ragna's made friends.

[He's sincere to Harumasa, a little stilted as it is in his attempt to at least seem polite. It's been ages since he needed to be polite, usually he let other people do the talking and just kept watch. This is strange and new for him.

As for Ragna, he switches seamlessly back to irate Swedish:]

I'm twenty-two years old, did you think I was never going to learn about that?! What's weird is mine own brother invited someone over while I was out! You have good taste, he seems very friendly, but still! [Mine own brother, he says, in a slightly more archaic accent that blurs into the Swedish for a second, then leaves just as quickly.]

What in seven hells do you mean, you're clearly blushing!! [A beat.] I'm not ordering rainbow socks for you, I'm not breaking up my aesthetic!

Yeah, he's simultaneously good and bad at it. It's a talent.

[He opens his mouth to try again to tell the brothers that he's fluent in Swedish and knows exactly what they're saying. But... yeah, no, there's no way he's going to be heard by them at the moment. So, Harumasa will just have to tell them at the funniest possible moment instead for revenge.

The young archer records some of the loud Swedish men arguing and sends it to a certain someone. Harumasa's having a great time, even if they are talking about the nature of his and Ragna's relationship as if he can't understand them.]

I wasn't exactly TRYING to "make friends", you guys are just pains in the asses and wouldn't leave me alone!

[And he would not trade them for the world, any of them. He never had friends until he came to this town two years ago, and they mean the world to him just like his little brother.

... You know, the one he's still shouting at in their first language and threatening.]

Yeah, twenty-two and still a fucking short stack I can and WILL put in a headlock! And so the fuck what if I invite him over?! It's still my place, I don't need a goddamn reason besides I wanted Harumasa over!

[Which worked with Harumasa's excuse and was said in a way that could give juuust enough plausible deniability but also he's starting to forget how to keep words back (7 cause i said so).]

I AM NOT BLUSHING. [He is blushing.]

That rather sounds like him. It's good to know that he found people who care about him just as much as we did, while we were gone.

[He relaxes a little bit further, even letting himself smile a little. At least...at least there's that. Better than his once-siblings, alone in dangerous places, unable to trust anyone because who knew who would sink a knife into their backs.

Anyway, back in Swedish, his accent growing increasingly archaic:] I'm not saying don't! I truly do not mind if you bring him over, but just tell me so I don't interrupt whatever it is you were clearly planning on doing!

Yes you bloody well are, do you think me a blind fool?!

[He returns the smile.]

He's got a lot of good friends. I'm just lucky to be one of them. [Fully aware he's only going to add fuel to the fires of their argument, Harumasa 'innocently' says:] Ragna rescued me a long time ago, so it's really only since January this year that we were able to reconnect. It's been... eight years, I think, since we last saw each other.

[This argument is only getting funnier and funnier to Harumasa. He's happy to look entirely clueless while it goes on.]

Oh fucking please, I told you to lift better lines from movies than that.

[Except he's also blushing more, relieved that that day while he did not find his brother or sister he found someone so important to him.

But the yelling continues. Just regular introducing family to situationship things.]

We weren't gonna be DOING anything! And maybe you ARE fucking blind because I'M NOT BLUSHING.

[He is extremely blushing.

Except.

... wait a minute.]

... Why are you talking like that?

What movie? [This he says to Harumasa.] I don't see them very often, I tend to be busy with Black Order business.

You must've had a strong bond back then if you've gotten this close even after eight years. I'm glad. I can't think of anyone who needs those more.

[Yes, brother, you need friends.

Back to barking at his brother in Swedish rapidly shading into old fantasy-ass terms:]

It certainly looked as though something was happening! Mayhaps I've no experience in that matter in this life but I did in my past life, I am telling you that you look at him as if you're a shy maiden watching a knight pass on by.

[A beat.]

The hell are you talking about, Niisan.

[Harumasa considers dropping Captain America: The Winter Soldier as the movie of choice, but he spares the brothers (15).]

The Fox and the Hound! If you haven't seen it, I recommend seeing it at least once. It's a very touching story about friendship and growing up~.

[He just doesn't spare them that much.]

Must have! Or else it's my winning personality doing some major heavy-lifting~! Do you have friends here yourself?

[Boys. Boys. Harumasa is holding it together very well, but holy shit they're both dumb.]

I see what you're doing, Harumasa. [Ragna watched that fucking movie and it made him have to tell Belle he got sand in his eyes (15).

They will both continue to be stupid. This is the family core.]

Like THAT! Like [Bad Kit Harington impression:] "A shy maiden watching a knight pass on by" [normal, and also in English again:] What kind of shit is that?

Wasn't that the movie where the hound and the fox became best friends but fought? I saw that years ago, seemed a bit sad.

[Ted Winterson did his absolute best to try to catch this poor dour and horrifically traumatized teenager with culture. Good man. Unfortunately Jon does not remember much in the way of detail (13).

Jon chokes a bit.

In Swedish:] I said that but I don't sound like that, what is wrong with you, I ought to swipe your left shoes. [In English:] It's—look, my past life was born into a world that...hm, picture a mix of Lord of the Rings and Night of the Living Dead and you have what my part of the world was like.

Kinda. I interpreted it as childhood friends who had to grow apart, but the distance and circumstances around their separation didn't mean that they had to forget about each other. The memories still live on.

[Harumasa looks over at Ragna and grins mischievously. It's fine~!

Oh, now they've switched over to English. Harumasa hums thoughtfully.]

That's an interesting concoction of genres. So, I guess "grimdark fantasy" would be a good way to put it?

I swear to fucking God, Harumasa. [If you make his little brother cry by suggesting this movie you're ALSO being thrown into the harbor, you fuck!!!

And that Is a wild fucking mix of genres. To have it as a life no less...

Oh, does that make Ragna fucking worried. His own past life was a hellish enough experience and he knew there were still people from it lurking around. The worst of the worst. And still somewhere within the Order no less.]

Grimdark fantasy, huh? [Ragna will give Jon a Look. A Look that he's likely not seen in quite some time. The Look he gave when they were young that said "we're talking about this later or I'll tell Mom."]

Suppose I could do with a rewatch. [It's going to catch him off-guard, how much he relates to it.

He fiddles with his sleeves, his sword hand flexing out of habit. Not burned, never burned, but he remembers it still. Sometimes Jon Snow's memories are stronger than Johan Mercurisson's, and Jon Winterson can't always tell which one he is, or if there's even any difference at this point. He wonders, almost childish, if he's still Ragna's little brother—if he was ever meant to be.

Krusnik didn't think so. They'd wanted someone else. Who wants one of those bastards from Westeros, they barely ever have anything useful, one of them had said disparagingly. It still echoes in his memory.

He swallows. Shrugs, glancing only briefly at Ragna's look before he looks away.]

I suppose you could call it that, but it wasn't that fantastic, aside from the walking dead. There was a lot of politics. [Even in his head, he can hear Ygritte's laugh. You know nothing, Jon Snow.]

[Fortunately, Harumasa can read between the lines. He glances at Ragna before turning his attention to Jon.]

Maybe not. But I think I can speak for Ragna, too, when I say we're glad to have you here. The place you were might've been dark, but now you can live in the light however you want.

[The young archer picks up his now empty package of bitter melon juice and throws it away. Harumasa looks over at Jon with a smile.]

By the way, who's the cute little Yorkie? Not a lotta dogs like my scent, and cats are the same way, so I was expecting more barking from your friend!

[It's an obvious topic change, but he feels like it's necessary to dispel the heaviness in the air for now.]

[Take the words out of his mouth, why don't you Haru? Ragna saw his brother getting weirdly uncomfortable. Maybe it was similar arm trauma coming about but he found himself, still finds himself, looking at his right arm when memories of "Ragna the Bloodedge" came up.

They would be talking about this. But for now, from one person who struggles to walk in the light to another.]

... No one's gonna hurt you here, Johan.

[So make friends. Flourish. Meet people who you'll form bonds with, who you'll remember to have dreams with. As for the doggy.]

If it tries shit like yapping it won't get treats.

ic contact: kaisou

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