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Sano, I'm getting dinner with Mikazuki. You should come. It's real food.

[ i.e., Japanese. Toshi attaches directions to the exact place to his text. Attempts to call him go unanswered. ]

[SOME TIME LATER because technology is hard and he was totally in the shower after...um...an encounter. But when he sees the message, he hopes the invite is still valid. He has no idea who Mikazuki is, but if Hijikata likes this person, then he sees no problem with things.

So, having no idea what's going down elsewhere in town, he takes his time answering.]

Hey hope im not too late
I'll see you there

Harada-san, I have a favor to ask. Think you can swing by my apartment?

yeah sure

what do you need?

I got a yukata. How do you tie this??

with an obi

[Look at this asshole, isn't he so fUNNY.]

hang in there i'll be right over

Alright, thanks.

Don't tell Hijikata yet, I want to surprise him. He has complained that I need one for almost as long as I've known him.

ah yeah

his complaining gets old real fast so good call

He's like an old man sometimes, haha!

Was he always like this?

sometimes

hes always had a low pain tolerance for idiots like me so i guess it makes sense

Actually I've never asked.... how old is he? He looks sort of my age, and I'm twenty.

I'm going to make a guess that he's twenty seven.

ahhhh hes five years older than me so he should be 33 this year

[Sorry, Nocto, your not!boyfriend is an old geezer.]

but at the same time hes talked about things that ive never experienced so he might be older here...i dont get it honestly

oh im outside now

Holy shit???

[Noct sends it just as he gets that message that Harada is here and Noct flusters even if he did ask for help. Shit, he's not ready at all, but he's still surprised to hear that Hijikata is so much older than him. Rolling himself out of bed and moving to the closet to pull the yukata out and hanging it on the back of his door, Noct goes to his front door to let him in while masking a yawn.

He's in his usual black clothes with some mighty bedhead going on the left side, but his color choice for yukata isn't all that different - charcoal with a navy blue obi.]

It's not weird that he's so much older than me, right? [Please answer yes, because Noct has this awkward urge kicking in.]

[Sano sees that text just before the door opens, but he has to laugh to himself a little bit. It's true, Hijikata does look a little younger than he actually is, so it's not surprising that Noctis guessed wrong.

Then, seeing Noctis obviously disheveled and confused in that doorway makes Sano smile more, even as he bows in greeting. Look, Noctis is still a king, even if he's not Sano's king. He can be respectful!]

It's not weird. People get married back home despite age differences all the time.

[Not that...Hijikata and Noctis are getting married or anything.]

I mean, neither of you are bothered by it, right?

[That's the more important part, in Sano's opinion.]

I guess. Yeah, it doesn't bother me, I'm just... surprised.

[Gently trying to wave off the bow despite how it surprises him, Noct lets Harada in and moves to shut the door behind him, starting to lead the way back into his room where he has that yukata hung up.]

At least I wasn't all that far off. I mean, you look at Gladio and think he's in his later twenties because of how huge he is, but he's only three years older than me.

Gladio's that young?

[~~Assuming we got to introductions in that thread yeahhhh~~ See, Sano knows younger people around Gladio's age. People like Heisuke.

Heisuke and Gladio are vastly different in what the natural order decided to bless them with in the physical department.

Poor Heisuke.

Sano runs a hand over his hair as he processes this information because it really is crazy, but if that's the truth, then there's nothing he can do about it, so he might as well not get himself worked out. He follows Noctis to his room without question.]

Guess it's my turn to be surprised, huh?

[~~Believe it~~]

He looks older, right? But damn, those three years. He was always really tall, even when he was first assigned to me, but he just filled out and got taller.

[Sighing lightly, cracking a little bit of a smile at just how surprised Harada looks, Noct moves to take off his tshirt and pants, leaving on his underwear and a plain black beater underneath - it covers most of the scar, so Noctis has taken to wearing them more often, since now he has the funds to buy more clothes. Moving to take the yukata off the hanger, he starts pulling it on and only gives the obi another confused look in his hands.]

Alright, so it's. Fancier than just strapping it around me like a robe, I can tell that much.

Some guys just get all the luck, don't they?

[Sano says this with a smirk. He's hardly cursed in the physical looks and build department, after all, being one of the tallest guys in the Shinsengumi, and he knows it. But he's not above giving other people a hard time about it, either, even if they are royalty.

Once Noctis starts stripping down, however, he averts his gaze to the floor, giving him at least that much privacy. It's not that he's embarrassed or anything; he's seen Shinpachi's body more times than he can count in casual situations. But he and Noctis barely know each other, so who knows what the kid is like.

Apparently really casual about this whole thing.

He looks back up when Noctis has the yukata on and he takes pity on him, taking the obi from him.]

A little bit, but it isn't that bad.

[He separates the smaller koshi-himo from the obi and keeps it at the ready.]

Okay, so first you're gonna wrap the left side over the right side. And it's important you remember that. We dress the dead by wrapping the right over the left so you don't wanna make that mistake.

[He holds out the koshi-himo to Noctis.]

Then wrap this around your waist twice and tuck in the ends just to keep it all secured.

[There's been too many camping excursions and changing in a cramped camper for Noctis to care about changing clothes in front of other guys anymore, especially polite ones like Harada who don't stare him down. Thankfully adjusting the sleeves a bit after Harada takes the obi from him, Noct looks up and watches, listening. Left to right, always left to right, don't mix it up.

Reaching up to start folding from left to right, holding his clothes in place for a minute when he reaches up for the koshi-himo first, Noctis does as he is instructed. It fits, sort of - he wrapped it a little too loose at first, so it starts to fall open and he has to catch everything to try again.]

[Sano has never been the most confident in his teaching abilities, which is why he doesn't lead any kenjutsu classes back at headquarters. He'll help out if he's needed, of course, but he's of the mind that people learn better if they just do it themselves. Spouting off instructions only goes so far, in that case.

So when he sees Noctis struggle, even just that little bit, he frowns - at himself - for a moment and immediately reaches forward to help. When he can, he'll hold the yukata closed, leaving his hand at Noctis' hip as a temporary weight.]

It takes some getting used to, I guess. You had it, though. Try again.

[Fixing the fold again and raising his hands briefly when he feels Harada reaching in close to hold it in place on his hip, he nods for a moment and moves to try tying it again, looping around, then pulling it tighter, tying - it isn't bad, but it doesn't look as nice as it should. Noct inspects the mirror image for a minute before he undoes it to try a third time, frowning a bit.]

This is harder than it looks.

[Once Noctis gets working again, Sano lets go and takes a step back to give him room.]

Hm. Should I tell you that the next part is even harder, then?

[He takes the obi in hand and gently flicks the end at his face.]

Or would that just scare you off?

[Scrunching his face up at that flick, reaching up to swat it with a smirk, he bumps his hip into Harada's at that tease before he shakes his head.]

C'mon, bring it.

[The hip bump gets a laugh out of Sano. He deserved that, but it's not like he cares. It's actually nice to have some familiarity with this kid he barely knows. But then Sano thrives better on such social interaction, so it's not surprising.]

Hey, don't say I didn't warn you.

[Still, this is one of those steps that he can't imagine teaching well from a different perspective, so he moves to stand behind Noctis with his chin basically restin on Noctis' shoulder, beginning to wrap the obi around his waist on top of the koshi-himo.]

Right, so you've gotta fold this end part in half, then wrap the rest of the obi around yourself, but keep this end sticking out.

[It takes the obi a couple trips around Noctis' waist before there's enough left over to tie the knot.]

Then you fold this other end over and tie the two ends together like this -

[Listen. It looks good. I promise. But I'll be hecked if I can properly tell you how he does it. But it's your standard yukata obi knot. I promise it's great.]

[On some level, Noctis thinks Harada should have been granted more height. It seems a little strange, having him there at his back with his chin over his shoulder, looking right down - but Noct tips his head down to watch his hands work, eventually tying the whole thing closed.]

Why is it so complicated? Why couldn't you guys just invent a different knot that holds tight? Use fishing knots, they work great. [Even as his hands raise to feel the whole thing up, Noctis outright pouts - because he has to practice it now.]

Fishing knots?

[Truth be told, Sano knows next to nothing about fishing, let alone how to tie any specific knots relevant to the profession. But he laughs, genuinely amused.]

Oh, no, no, no. That wouldn't do at all. See, you want a practical knot, sure, something to hold you all together, but it's gotta look good, too.

[Then he reaches across Noctis' front to tuck his right thumb into the obi at Noctis' left hip, and tucks his left thumb inside at his right hip. And, seemingly without a problem, he twists the obi around so the knot is in the back.]

It's about a good impression. Anyone can tie a simple knot, but it takes real skill to make it into art.

[Sano keeps his hands at Noctis' hips, lingering perhaps for a moment too long, but then steps away.]

Or maybe that's just something my father told me once, I don't remember.

Trust me, fishing knots can look good. Just takes an artistic flair, some skill and maybe not wanting to lose your favorite lure.

[Raising his hands and setting them briefly on his obi, almost like he intends on undoing it to show him and make a point, Harada already has his thumb hooked in at his hip and is pulling the whole thing to place the knot in the back. Lingering, there's lingering happening, Noct isn't entirely oblivious about it - but reading anything more into it than idly thinking that Harada is warm, Noct lets the sensation pass right over his head.]

Hm... guess it's something to listen to, if it was a thing your father said. [Fathers. He's not entirely sure he wants to broach that subject, with all the hundreds of little things his own father has said over the years. Noct ends up staring quietly into the mirror anyway, like he could see more than himself and Harada in the reflection.

He can see it, a little, the resemblance he himself carries.]

I'll have to take your word for it.

[Oh, but why did he bring up his father? Or just his family in general? Sano hooks his thumbs into his own hakama this time, and levels his gaze to the floor.]

Yeah, probably.

[It's not a subject he's completely against talking about, but it's definitely not something he would bring up for fun. It's not a fun story.]

I'm not always a great listener.

[He falls silent for a moment, his mind trying to latch onto anything to get the conversation back on track. His eyes glance over the knot at Noctis' back and he frowns a little, concentrating.

Maybe...]

Y'know, here's a thought.

[He reaches forward and tugs the knot undone, readying it for Noctis to use again.]

Show me one of these fishing knots. Maybe Hijikata-san would get a kick out of it.

[Dropping his hands to catch the obi when he feels it being tugged right open, Noct looks up at him for a moment with confusion - then amusement, a realizing smile spreading on his face, before he smooths the fabric of the obi idly with his thumbs. They're going to skip this topic, that's fine by him. It's better not to think on it too hard anyway.]

I guess only a few could work, since it isn't like I've got a hole to loop anything with, but...

[Turning to face Harada instead and loop the obi behind him and then hold it tight on his left hip with his elbow, he pauses a second before looking up and gesturing with a tip of his head. Give him a hand and hold it there so he can do the rest.]

I'd usually use my teeth as the extra hold, but you see the problem I'm having.

Inbox - Lagunbiru

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