roneal | (no subject)

"Neither." He sounds almost cheerful. "It's simply no fun to drink alone."

Something Peony is all too glad to remind him of whenever Jade tells him he has no time for drinking together, but he tries not to think about the other man.

Leaning forward, he pours the sake for both of them. He still roughly recalls Shinjirou's tolerance levels (which is space in his brain that should have gone towards remembering more important things), and would have given him enough to make him tipsy, but the cups were too small.

He holds out the cup for Shinjirou to take. "Though I suppose you can think of it as a reward. You did good work today."

"Huh. Alright, if you say so." He can accept that. Drinking alone is pretty sad. Taking the cup out of Jade's hand, he takes a first nip. It tastes nice and warms him up from the inside out, putting his mind at ease. He doesn't think that he's earned a drink for making salad and being naked, but he's not going to argue as long as his cup is still full.

Of course the cup is empty rather soon. Maybe if he gets drunk enough he's going to forget that this isn't some naughty game. "Don't reward me for stuff that's that easy. I'm not a kid."

Is he purposefully trying to get drunk? Well, no matter, it's along the lines of what Jade is aiming for anyway. He refills Shinjirou's cup for him, and adds a dash to his own cup, even though it's barely been touched.

"No, you're not," he agrees easily. He had been referring to Shinjirou's acceptance of the situation rather than the quality of his work, but he doesn't see the need to elaborate.

"Speaking of which," his smile widens, gaining a sly edge, "do you remember this couch?"

A quiet "thank you" slips out despite himself when his cup is refilled. Jade really doesn't deserve his gratitude. Probably doesn't need it either.

It's one thing to sit around naked with a collar around his neck and a chain draped across his lap; it's another to be reminded of an earlier date when all that hadn't yet been the case, except for the naked part. Choking on a sip of sake, he coughs and tries not to let it show what exactly he remembers about this couch.

His neck and face is heating up quickly, unfortunately. He groans and averts his eyes. "Yeah, well. It's just a couch. Comfy and shit." No big deal, right?

By contrast, Jade's entire posture is relaxed, his spine curving gently against the backrest, thighs slightly apart. He raises the cup to his lips, sipping slowly, eyes half-closed as he watches Shinjirou fluster.

"I'm glad you think so." He's still smiling, his voice low and warm. "Tomorrow, you'll be lying here and spreading yourself out."

"Want me to take a nap tomorrow?" No, that's most likely not what Jade's trying to say. But deliberately playing obtuse is better than asking any other questions and therefore thinking about real possibilities.

Before Jade can correct him, he empties his cup again. He's not a fortune teller, but he's pretty sure he'll have to be at least a bit drunk to accept whatever's coming out of Jade's mouth next.

Jade obligingly fills his cup again.

"I'm afraid not." He can be patient. He knows something like this is difficult to accept, even if he doesn't understand why - it's not like Shinjirou has any problems with spreading his legs for strangers. The come stains had taken awhile to clean off the couch.

Besides, in this case, he's not even asking him to whore himself out, just submit to a physical examination. "I told you you'd be entertaining my guests. One of them is visiting tomorrow. He's the one who introduced me to the market, and he's told me that he'd like to look at my purchase."

It's entirely possible that things would go further than that, but Jade won't risk allowing things to get too extreme, not without Shinjirou's consent. He's hoping to use him for a few months yet. That would be impossible if he alienates him two days into their partnership.

Look at doesn't sound too awful. He tries to force his body to still be tense, hiding his immediate relief. Being referred to as a purchase certainly helps with that. He's yet to find a good reason for why anyone would even be interested in buying him, and then actually doing it too. But that's what he is now, something that's been bought. Like a loaf of bread.

"Uhm, okay?" This time, he doesn't gulp down the sake and puts it onto his thigh, rolling his thumb along the edge of the cup. "If he's the one who introduced you, why'd he need to look at me? Just curious what you picked?"

He's spent time with slaves -- not very talkative folks -- but not with any, uh, owners. Maybe it's less like being a loaf of bread and more like a new vase. New decoration. In that case, he can kind of get behind the idea of wanting to show off. His own morals stand on slippery, sandy ground. He's not going to judge.

"He's gonna be disappointed, but that's your problem."

"No, he won't." Jade sounds very confident as he lowers his cup, looking directly at Shinjirou with intense red eyes. The corners of his lips curl up with the barest hint of a smirk. "Admittedly, your appearance could do with some work, but it shouldn't matter too much. He likes his boys pliant and docile. As long as you don't resist him, he should be satisfied."

He looks almost meditative as he sips at his sake again. "Well, really, he prefers females more, but I suppose there's no helping that." Very deliberately, his allows his gaze to slowly trail down Shinjirou's body, coming to a stop at his groin. "So, do you think you can handle acting subservient for a few hours?"

There are always other methods: drugs, bondage, gags. His associate isn't picky; he likes helplessness as much as he does submission. Jade just prefers to do things the easy way.

He makes no attempt to hide anything from Jade. There's no point in being bashful after throwing yourself at a guy once. He even lets one leg drop to the side, baring himself to Jade's stare. His body isn't anything special, but if Jade honestly likes looking at it, whatever.

"Don't resist him ... for a few hours? That sounds like a long time for just looking at me." The sake's getting to his head, he can tell. Can tell when he edges closer to Jade, instead of keeping a safe distance between them. "What is he going to do and where are you going to be?"

"But you won't tell me that yet, right." Shrugging, he empties his cup of sake and puts it on the table. He shouldn't drink more than that. His head and chest are already feeling fuzzy and warm. That's bad, seeing as he won't be allowed to run off in the morning. "Hope you're charging him."

"You'll see tomorrow," he promises. It's good that Shinjirou already has a sense of how he operates; Jade doesn't have much patience for spelling things out all the time.

Almost lazily, he drapes an arm around Shinjirou's shoulders, tugging him closer. The sake had lent slight flush to Shinjirou's skin, and when Jade runs his thumb across along his cheek, it feels warm and smooth. "But no, I won't be charging him. You aren't worth it yet. Besides, what sort of host makes his guests pay for the entertainment?"

They'll still be doing plenty of paying though, in information and connections. But right now, Shinjirou is little more than a token of goodwill, a gift freely given to and shared with his acquaintances.

Shinjirou knows he shouldn't let his guard down this easily, but he closes his eyes at the gentle touch, pushing his face into the crook of Jade's neck. His lips touch skin when he speaks up again. "Yet? I will be?" It makes him wonder what Jade expects of him and whether he'll actually be capable of it. He's only good at making mistakes.

"I'll try being nice." He says this now, in a state where he can't tell if he's just a bit under the influence of alcohol, or already properly drunk. His hand on Jade's chest suggest the latter; he doesn't remember putting it there, but now he can feel a pulse under his fingertips. "I think I can be nice."

They're close enough that he can feel Shinjirou speak, all pleasant vibrations and soft lips against his neck. Jade has to stifle a chuckle at the earnest words, the sincerity. It's amazing what a few drinks can do to a person.

Setting his own cup back on the table, he drapes that arm loosely against Shinjirou's back.

"You're being very nice right now," he murmurs, the words meant as a praise. His thumb brushes against Shinjirou's cheek again, then traces down the line of his jaw, coming to a rest just under his chin. He pushes up, very lightly, a wordless request for Shinjirou to tilt his head back. It would be nice to kiss him; he seems to respond well to physical gestures.

He soaks up the words, humming contently. There's no resistance left and he accepts the small push by quietly obeying. His head falls back, body no longer tense but a heavy, warm weight melting into the couch and each touch it receives. He watches Jade with lazy eyes, licking his lips when he feels hot breath ghost over them.

"Should I be like this tomorrow, for your friend?" It's easy, at the moment. Giving in, finding excitement in it even. Allowing himself to flush and his fingers to curl up the fabric of Jade's shirt as he clings to him. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he won't be able to reproduce this behavior. There's a mental wall between this, which is so good and relieving, and allowing himself to indulge and explore it.

The wall's cracked, but still it stands ... and it sounds like Jade's guest isn't interested in unrelenting concrete.

Leaning in closer, Jade kisses him, brief and almost chaste except for the way he swipes his tongue along Shinjirou's bottom lip. He's so easy to handle like this, enough so that Jade has to remind himself to take things slow, keeping his touches gentle even as Shinjirou's body moulds against his own.

"Can you?" He asks, choosing not to answer the question properly. "You won't be able to rely on alcohol as a crutch tomorrow."

It's difficult, Jade knows, to consciously let down barriers that had been built and maintained for years. Acting like they're down is one thing, but he doubts Shinjirou is talented enough to pull that off yet.

Without hesitation he kisses back, however brief the kiss is. His mouth opens and he nudges forward to keep their lips close. Wanting to be yet closer, he slings one leg over Jade's thighs. He knows he's too easy like this, he knows the seller had been right to call him a slut; not only easy to fuck, but also easy to kidnap.

At least the latter won't happen again.

"Why not?" It'd make everything so much easier and he'd simply drink enough not to remember anything afterwards. Even intoxicated as he is at the moment, he realizes that is probably exactly the opposite of what Jade wants. What was it -- working on his discipline. Alcohol is definitely not good for someone's discipline. "He won't like me when I'm sober. But I won't kick or bite him, I promise."

He holds himself steady. It's easy to coax Shinjirou into his lap, but harder to keep his balance with Shinjirou's weight bearing down on him. He's not about to let himself be pushed down - that would defeat the purpose of this little exercise.

"You know perfectly well why not." He runs his hands down Shinjirou's bare back, squeezing and kneading at the warm flesh. "You're not going to learn any control that way. Besides, giving you to him drunk implies we think him too repulsive to handle sober."

Appearances are important, as Jade had learnt in the years after he became entangled in politics.

One hand falls to stroke along Shinjirou's thigh, pressing down lightly whenever he finds a bruise. "Not kicking or biting would be a good start. I'd like you to keep quiet as well."

His lips pursing against Jade's, he ducks his head, letting his body curve along the route Jade's hands take. It shouldn't come so naturally to him, not even while drunk, but he's following every tug and every nudge, moaning at the eventual caresses it earns him.

"Quiet as in not saying anything?" This is something he considers difficult in any state, sober, drunk, drugged. Only sleeping is the obvious exception. "Not making any noise at all?"

The pressure on his assorted bruises makes his legs twitch. Some are older and barely hurt anymore. Others are fresh, from being dragged around against his will, kicking and screaming insults at the top of his lungs. However, he doesn't attempt to pull away. The pain is always quick and sharp, spiraling up his spine straight into his head -- and then into his cock, hard enough to lie almost flat against his own stomach.

He's willing to endure now, though, and more than that. It's like overriding the information. Unpleasant pain exchanged for ... for whatever this is.

"I think I'll fail tomorrow."

Immediately, he stills, hands coming to a stop. He barely breathes as he leans back slightly, putting some distance between their bodies. His eyes are cold and hard.

Flatly: "You're giving up already."

"What?" Frowning, he sits back, putting more of his weight onto Jade's thighs. Why should he even want to try being good, why should it matter to him whether he'll be a good little sex toy or not? Because in the end that's all that's required of him.

And there his frown deepens. Jade isn't asking for much at all. Isn't the question he should rather ask himself why he thinks he can't even succeed in being quiet and welcoming for a few hours. "No. I'm not."

"Hmm." He allows Shinjirou to see his skepticism. But his hands start moving again, straying closer to Shinjirou's cock, even as he continued to keep their upper bodies apart.

"Then, for your information, you're free to make noises. I'd simply prefer it if you don't speak." It's easier that way. He doesn't trust Shinjirou to mind his tongue, so forbidding him from speaking at all would be a more straightforward approach to the problem.

He cups Shinjirou's balls, feeling their weight, then moves his hand up to press his thumb against the base of his cock. It's hot, much hotter than the rest of Shinjirou's body, and completely hard. His other hand continues to rest on Shinjirou's thigh, idly tracing nonsense patterns on top of some of the darker bruises.

"So why did you think you would fail?"

"Okay. I won't." Not so secretly, he thinks that he'll at least once fuck it up. Even if it's accidentally saying hello to Jade's guest or something just as innocuous, he's not going to be perfect. But he keeps these worries to himself. He doesn't want to fuck up, it's simply something that happens all the time.

Raising his hips and taking his weight off Jade's legs, he gently drops his head forward to rest against Jade's. "I can't control myself when I'm angry. Uh. Or scared." And then people get hurt. Killed, in the worst case scenario. Perhaps he shouldn't be telling Jade any of this. It's too personal, too intimate, and even drunk as he is the honesty makes his skin crawl. The goosebumps are proof of his discomfort.

"I want to change that." He's not a killer; he doesn't want to hurt people at all. "I don't know how."

Jade closes his eyes, letting out a thoughtful noise. Although he keeps his expression neutral, his pulse spikes, pounding rapidly with excitement - he had never expected Shinjirou to be so open with him so soon. It explains a lot about his behaviour, and already Jade is wondering how best to use it against him.

"It all comes down to a matter of control." He wraps his hand firmly against Shinjirou's cock. His skin is velvety smooth to the touch, especially when compared against his hand, with calluses formed from a lifetime of writing and wielding weapons. "Either control your emotions, or your reactions."

He doesn't have the faintest idea how emotions would be controlled - he can't remember ever having felt anger or fear for more than a fleeting moment. It's unnatural, he knows, but that's simply how he is.

Which left controlling reactions. That, he had some experience with.

"I may be able to assist you. But you'll have to trust me." He is not blind to what he's doing - Jade is no altruist, acting out of the goodness of his heart. No, he's simply doing this to gain better control over Shinjirou.

But if it benefits them both, then what's the harm?

Shinjirou doesn't quite understand what is going on that has made Jade willing to close his eyes, despite having just been told that an uncontrollable force is sitting in his lap. Jade seems to trust either himself to be stronger, or Shinjirou not to start an attack.

While Shinjirou does move, his attack is very light. He kisses his way down to Jade's throat, one hand on Jade's shoulder for support, the other fisted in the backrest of the couch. His hips want to thrust into Jade's hand, a warm hollow that feels far too good for being just a palm. This, Shinjirou decides for himself, is his own first test. Staying still should be easy enough.

"How -- can you teach me?" Jade isn't someone who should be trusted, he thinks, but then neither is he. It evens out, in his opinion. If being used by someone turns out to be useful for himself, he can deal with it. Hopefully. "Will you?"

With his eyes closed, the only warning he gets is the shift of air caused by Shinjirou moving closer, his hair tickling at Jade's cheek as he is kissed. He sits perfectly still, accepting the gesture but not reacting to it.

"I will." Those words sound too much like a promise for his comfort. He knows all about the value of good teachers - enough to know that he'll never be a one. But he puts the thought out of his mind.

"In fact, you could say I'm already teaching you." Now that he's sure Shinjirou won't start thrusting into his hand, he tightens his grip, giving his cock a little squeeze, then begins to drag his fist up with tantalizing slowness. The friction feels good against his hand, even without lubricant, all heat and tightness. He can only imagine what it feels like to Shinjirou.