Once he has the shirt, he lets go of Shinjirou, slowly enough that it wouldn't seem like he's pushing him away. He pauses to pick up the shirt on the floor, hanging it next to the jacket. It's significantly more crumpled, but Jade doesn't pause to smooth it down.
"Now, stretch out your arms," he requests, focusing on the mirror instead of the wounds that lace Shinjirou's back. Shinjirou is puzzled, he can see, or perhaps troubled. Fair enough; Jade supposes his behaviour was a little odd.
But he's more interested in the contrast between the Shinjirou in the mirror and the Shinjirou in front of him. It's more pronounced than ever before, now that Shinjirou's back is bared: the bruises, days old, had barely faded, creeping up from the waistband of his bands. The lines of the whip are fainter, but still unmistakably present. Jade resists the urge to reach out and touch them, focusing instead on the relatively normal image presented in the mirror - a young man, with tousled hair, the chain and supple leather collar the only signs of his status.
That is the side of Shinjirou he wants to focus on today, not the codependent one, the one that begged for someone to forcibly restrain him and bring him under control.
It won't work out as neatly as that, of course. Such an integral part of Shinjirou can't be divorced from the rest of him. But just for today, Jade thinks they can avoid triggering it; both of them need a rest. Well, he needs one, at least.
But he's been thinking over it for long enough. Once he's gotten Shinjirou's arms through the sleeves, Jade moves to stand in front of him, crouching slightly to avoid blocking Shinjirou's view of the mirror. With only the barest hint of hesitation, he leans forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Shinjirou's collarbone, just before he reaches out to do up the top button.
no subject
"Now, stretch out your arms," he requests, focusing on the mirror instead of the wounds that lace Shinjirou's back. Shinjirou is puzzled, he can see, or perhaps troubled. Fair enough; Jade supposes his behaviour was a little odd.
But he's more interested in the contrast between the Shinjirou in the mirror and the Shinjirou in front of him. It's more pronounced than ever before, now that Shinjirou's back is bared: the bruises, days old, had barely faded, creeping up from the waistband of his bands. The lines of the whip are fainter, but still unmistakably present. Jade resists the urge to reach out and touch them, focusing instead on the relatively normal image presented in the mirror - a young man, with tousled hair, the chain and supple leather collar the only signs of his status.
That is the side of Shinjirou he wants to focus on today, not the codependent one, the one that begged for someone to forcibly restrain him and bring him under control.
It won't work out as neatly as that, of course. Such an integral part of Shinjirou can't be divorced from the rest of him. But just for today, Jade thinks they can avoid triggering it; both of them need a rest. Well, he needs one, at least.
But he's been thinking over it for long enough. Once he's gotten Shinjirou's arms through the sleeves, Jade moves to stand in front of him, crouching slightly to avoid blocking Shinjirou's view of the mirror. With only the barest hint of hesitation, he leans forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Shinjirou's collarbone, just before he reaches out to do up the top button.