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Ran and Dustin definitely had this unspoken way of speaking, they would share brief glances at each other while Silco was in a meeting with Marcus as they were in the back. Maybe Dustin would notice the slightest shift in Ran’s physique and instantly pick up on whatever was going on around the two. On more than one occasion, Ran would go back to her roots and bust out the sign language learned in their youth to communicate with her mom and speak to Dustin at the bar when the music was far too loud for either of them to talk casually. And yes, Dustin obviously learned sign as well, as he was basically living at Ran’s house.
The two of them were in a shared bubble at almost all times, in their own little world, as if they were still kids running around the neon lit up streets in the Lanes. They were practically attached at the hip, considering how often the two of them are at each other's side or near the other. It was comfortable, a sense of solace in whatever the fuck Zaun had going on.
So in The Last Drop when a drunkard is a little too drunk and a little too angry at Ran, who’s won the pool game for the seventh time in a row, Dustin notices the brief shift in Ran’s attitude. Gripping the cue stick a little tighter, rolling the cue ball in her fingers as they “listen” to the fully grown man yelling at them, and their head tilted back slightly. So Dustin makes his way over, slinging his arms over Ran’s shoulders—no, he wasn’t scared for Ran. He was scared for the man Ran would definitely fuck up, why do you think theres a guard at the pool table when Ran is playing?
Everyone in the bar knew them, they were Silco’s henchmen, and Silco owned the fucking bar. But they made a reputation for themselves, Dustin would regularly if not every day pull his knife out on assholes trying to harass his best friend. Ran would make whoever tried to fuck with Dustin eat the floor of The Last Drop all while squeezing the back of their neck with her mechanical hand.
The drunk seethed through his teeth, obviously fuming. If he were a cartoon character he’d be beat red and steam would be coming out of his ears. He threw the stick on the table and stormed off before anything escalated further. Dustin grinned and kissed the side of Ran’s head, briefly spitting in the other direction after their hair got in his mouth, and swung his long ass legs to stand in front of Ran.
She raised her nonexistent brows at him, usually—from anyone else, that would be a sign of annoyance but from Ran? It was just what she did. They chuckled dryly and grabbed the cue stick the man just threw and slid it to Dustin, an obvious gesture for him to play a game with them. “You’re gonna beat my ass,” he grumbled in a mock dejected voice as he picked up the stick. She just smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.
A second language shared between the two was contact, perhaps it was Dustin launching himself onto Ran’s back and laughing once Ran almost fell forwards. Or it was Ran delicately holding Dustin’s hands a little while longer after they had just finished painting his nails as he blabbered excitedly about it. Ran held onto those moments with him for dear life.
And Ran held onto him physically, for dear life.
Literally. Oftentimes in their youth when they were on in about the Lanes, now Zaun, Dustin would hike up onto their back. Ran was taller than him at the time and she would give him piggyback rides through the streets until they were home.
“Ra-an,” little Dustin groaned as he tugged on her hand, “my feet are killing me.” He sighed.
Ran stopped in their tracks and didn’t say a word before crouching down for him. He cheered and hopped on her back, instinctively wrapping his legs around their waist, and arms slinging around her shoulders. Ran smiled and held onto his legs as they stood up carefully. “Thank you-u,” he hummed and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“Mhm,” Ran hummed and walked along the dark neon lit roads, silent, with Dustin half-falling asleep on her back. They were 13.
And it’s not like Dustin didn’t treasure the memories he had with Ran, he more than treasured them—he considered Ran his other half, and so did they. He was infinitely grateful for her. He fully believed no one could compare to Ran.
One night, one dreary—rainy night in the Lanes, Dustin listened to his drunk dad yell at him as he grabbed his jacket and slammed the front door of his apartment behind him. He huffed and wandered about the hall for a few seconds before hearing the unusual sound of… sound muffled in Ran’s apartment. It was unusual because the only inhabitants in that apartment were Ran’s deaf mother and Ran, who rarely ever spoke loud enough for it to be heard from the hall. He stared at the door in confusion for about three seconds before racing down the hall and down the staircase, leading to the front of the complex.
And his hunch was right—there they were, hunched over on the sopping concrete ground. Head in between her knees and arms wrapped around herself. Alone.
Dustin’s heart dropped and he slowed his pace as he walked to Ran. He sat down beside them and spread the jacket over both of them, and once Ran felt the touch of his jacket and his presence, they looked up immediately. Ran signed a thank you to him, they didn’t feel like speaking right now. Dustin smiled.
“Dad problems?” He asked, obviously knowing the answer.
‘No shit, you too, huh?’ They signed and let themself lean against Dustin’s side.
Dustin shrugged, “dads are assholes.”
Ran raised her hands to sign a response before shaking slightly, and then she signed. ‘He’s back because he wants money—from my mom. He left us for another family but he won’t leave her alone.’
Dustin watched attentively, noticing the way Ran’s fingers twitched in the subtle anger burning inside them for their father. Or the sorrowful look in their eyes for their mother.
‘I should be in there for my mom but it’s—‘
Ran was interrupted with Dustin holding the fast acting hands in his as he shook his head, his eyes were soft as he spoke. “You’re mom wouldn’t want you in there to listen to all the things that asshole is saying. I know you think you’re tough shit,” he glared for a moment and flicked her forehead—causing Ran’s face to scrunch up but he kept speaking, “but you-u need a break.”
Ran sighed, he won the argument. A lot of people, even in the present, undermine Dustin. He was goofy and hyper, so that meant people thought he was just plain dumb. But fucking christ was Dustin smart and sneaky as hell, he could end an arguement in five minutes, and he could pick up on peoples character extremely well. Maybe that’s why the both of them clicked as quickly as they did—people already had set ideas about them.
He sighed and leaned his head on Ran’s. The both of them hid from their dads, in the rain, and eventually they would be soaking wet. Ran jabbed his arm with theirs and he looked over at her.
‘I love you.’ She signed.
Dustin smiled and signed back to them. ‘I love you more.’
Ran and Dustin never really open up to anybody anymore, not the way they are with each other. They’ve been best friends for far too long, have seen far too much shit, and experienced far too much together. Perhaps for romantic partners they would put down the walls surrounding them, like Ran’s girlfriend and Dustin’s boyfriend. But it was common knowledge that their soulmate, their other half, would always come first.