roneal | (no subject)

Really, he should always win when he's going against Shinjirou, but Jade can be a gracious victor. He smiles serenely as he unlocks the door for them.

Nobody gives them a second glance when they step out. They had barely walked two steps when someone pushes past them, an armful of clothes in tow, heading into the dressing room they had just exited. A shop assistant asks if they need anything. When Jade shakes his head no, she turns to deal with another customer.

There are no other interruptions as Jade leads them to the section for outerwear, passing the aisles with jackets and heading to one mainly filled with sweaters. "Would you like a sweater vest? You could wear a jacket over it."

All the other people don't seem to notice anything weird. Shinjirou, on the other hand, keeps his head down and his arms crossed, focused solely on the floor. They may not know what just happened behind closed doors, but he does and that's enough to make him feel awkward. It could have easily been worse, though that doesn't cheer him up much.

Staying close to Jade, sometimes brushing his arm as if to check if he's still there, he follows him blindly into a different area of the shop. He only raises his head to look around when Jade stops and speaks up.

"Er, no. Those are for old guys." It's not the real reason why he doesn't want one: Sweater vests are Aki's style. He doesn't want to be reminded of him every time he gets dressed. Hell, they're out shopping at this time so he can be avoided. Nibbling on his bottom lip, Shinjirou walks over to a selection of loose sweaters, distancing himself physically from the vests.

"I'm sure we can find something suitably youthful." He rummages around the rack. Luckily, bright red is an easy colour to spot. It's not the same as the one he saw on Akihiko Sanada, but he isn't after accuracy here. "How does this look? You like red, don't you? Though I suppose your coat is more of a maroon colour..."

His eyes widen at the sight, the color burning into his skull. Arguing that he doesn't like red is already out of the question, thanks to Jade's observation. Tongue dry and a cool shiver running down his spine followed by a spike of heat, he shakes his head.

He clears his throat, taking another step back and farther away from both Jade and the sweater vests. "Still looks like grandpa wear to me." Jade just picked it because he figured that if Shinjirou likes red, then red would make it easier to convince him. That's it, just a coincidence. Not one that makes him happy.

Shinjirou's reaction is filed away into his mind, tucked into the growing library of information he has on Shinjirou. It's probably safe to conclude that Shinjirou is close to Akihiko Sanada, although the two may be estranged; if they weren't, surely Shinjirou would be concerned about the possibility of someone searching for him, and so far he hasn't mentioned anything about that.

Having gotten what he wanted, Jade doesn't push the point any further. "Oh well." He shrugs slightly, putting the vest back on the rack. "It would have clashed with your pants anyway."

Shoulders sagging, he sighs and looks around, finding a turtleneck that is not quite the same color as his new pants nor the shirt -- darker than that -- but definitely closer than the traffic-lights red of the vest Jade chose. "I, uh, maybe this kind of thing?" He flattens it against his chest, though he has little hope that Jade will approve of it.

After all, he wanted to make him wear a tie and that wouldn't be visible beneath something that hides his neck. Then again, it would also easily hide the collar and chain. That must be a plus.

He pauses, as if thinking it over, then shakes his head slowly.

"Why ask when you know I'll refuse?" He looks subtly disappointed, his lips drawn down into a little frown.

"Because you can't hit me for it in public?" It's meant to be a joke, but he bites his tongue immediately afterwards. Once it's out, it doesn't sound very funny anymore. He puts the turtleneck away and walks over to examine the sweater vests instead.

There's one in black that's incredibly soft to the touch, made from thick fabric that's more commonly worn during winter when lakes freeze over. He slips into it quickly, showing it off to Jade. "There you go."

He raises an eyebrow at the "joke", but Shinjirou seems to realize on his own that it was rather inappropriate - especially in public. Jade lets it slide, though he has to wonder if that's what Shinjirou really thinks about him.

It's unlikely, he decides. He likes to think Shinjirou respects him more than he fears him - though he has to admit the reverse is a possibility too. Still, it doesn't corroborate with Shinjirou's attitude.

He raises an eyebrow again when he sees Shinjirou's choice. Touching the fabric - on an innocuous place this time, his shoulder - confirms that it's as thick as it looks. "You really dislike the cold, don't you?"

"Huh? Who doesn't?" It seems like he's averted a fully negative reaction successfully -- at the cost of wearing something that constricts him with memories of someone that he grew up with. He doesn't know if that was worth it.

Shrugging, he decides that acting suspicious is one thing, but perhaps being able to distract Jade with honesty will work just fine. He waits until the shop assistant and a rather loud lady joined by her exasperated husband have left the area. "I did drugs," he quietly admits.

And he'll have to figure out a way to get another pack once the desired effects wear off, but Jade doesn't need to know about that little detail. Rubbing his arms, he looks up at Jade. "I'm not a junkie, tho. Sorry, should have said something sooner. Right?"

He can't say it's too much of a surprise, but it's a disappointment nonetheless.

It's also suspicious how Shinjirou is seemingly bringing it up out of nowhere, but Jade already knows what he's trying to hide. At least, he's fairly certain he does; getting overconfident would be a mistake. The more he learns about Shinjirou, the more he can't shake off the feeling that there's something more to him. Surely an ordinary person wouldn't put themselves through the things he did, even if they were desperate to learn control.

"I see," he says neutrally. "You should have, but that's in the past now. I'm more interested in what you took. It won't cause any problems, will it?"

"Nope." Shaking his head, he tugs on the vest, trying to arrange it in a way that doesn't feel like he's put on an Aki costume. Eventually he returns to his crossed arms stance. "It's not addictive nor hallucinogenic."

Which might raise the question as to why someone would take drugs anyway, he figures and stumbles trying to come up with a good reason. "It was more of a tranquilizer." Close enough to the truth while still obscuring the grand scheme of things. "But yeah, as long as you're not putting me in the freezer, shouldn't cause problems."

As soon as Shinjirou stops fidgeting, Jade reaches out to try adjust the vest back into its proper position.

Sedatives make sense, considering what he knows of Shinjirou. But despite the reassurances he was given, Jade isn't entirely convinced that there won't be any trouble. Shinjirou must have been taking drugs for quite awhile if his body systems are affected enough that his thermoregulation abilities are impaired.

Briefly, Jade wonders if Shinjirou would enjoy temperature play.

"I'll try to avoid doing that." He says aloud. "Is there anything else you need to confess?"

Despite the vest annoying him in general, he doesn't protest when Jade readjusts it; even raising his arms slightly to make it easier. He needs to be sure that Jade forgets about his odd initial reaction to a simple piece of clothing.

Which is also why, though he flinches, Shinjirou doesn't mutter keep your voice down.

"Not here." Looking over his shoulder, there's another couple nearing the section. They seem happier than the one from before, but they're also quieter. "And I don't think there's anything else you'd be all that interested in."

He's aware of the couple, but only lowers his voice a fraction, to signal that this is a private conversation. None of what they're saying would make sense out of context.

"Is that so?" He taps lightly on the leather collar, once, then smiles. "I'm afraid you're not entirely correct. I'd like to hear whatever you have to say."

The tap makes him oddly hyper-aware both of his surroundings and his own body. Straightening, posture rigid as much as it is upright, he narrows his eyes. "I don't think so." Jade may be curious and Shinjirou can't judge him for that, considering that Jade's got to deal with him every day ... but there's things that no one likes to hear and Shinjirou got plenty of them.

"I'm pretty boring and you kinda already know more than anyone else. I mean if I tell you that I sometimes have nightmares, that's just normal?" Their content, not so much. "And I don't wake up screaming anyway, so whatever."

Does he really know more than any other person? Jade doubts it, though he has to wonder. Shinjirou doesn't seem like he's close to anyone, Akihiko aside, and he's obviously keeping secrets from his friend.

But if what Shinjirou is saying is true, then Jade feels mildly sorry for him.

The feeling doesn't last for long; he's more interested in the almost defensive way Shinjirou is carrying himself in.

"What else?" If there's one thing he knows, it's that Shinjirou is far from boring. But he doesn't plan on grilling him any further than this; they are in public, and he's fine with letting Shinjirou keep some secrets (for the moment, at least). Approaching him like this probably won't yield much results anyway.

"... what, do you want a list of my favorite movies?" Sadly, while completely innocuous, that would also be information he finds too embarrassing to talk about. Then a thin smile tugs on his lips. "I'm good at wielding axes."

The young woman nearby gasps and Shinjirou jumps, glancing at her. It turns out she's fawning over a jacket for her boyfriend. Sighing, he pulls the vest over his head and pushes it into Jade's arms. "It's getting late," he says, carrying the notion that it's Jade's fault entirely. "Let's go and look for ties and a belt."

Marginally less frustrating than talking about himself in public. He doesn't know what to do with the attention anyway. Having someone focus on him this much is something he normally shies away from by scaring them off; impossible with Jade, unfortunately.

Axes? Jade would have thought that Shinjirou was being sarcastic, but his jumpiness seems to imply otherwise.

Interesting. Where would Shinjirou have obtained an axe? And what did he need one for? It doesn't mesh with his fear of doing harm either. Jade is half-tempted to ask him more, but Shinjirou is already turning away, and he had promised himself not to inquire any further for the moment.

Jade folds the vest neatly and drapes it over one arm, at the same time adjusting his grip on the bag with the shoes. "This way," he says, leading the way to the ties.

Shinjirou doubts that Jade doesn't have any further questions, but he's quite positive that he's managed to distract him at least a bit. It is odd, after all. Axes are great for beating Shadows to a pulp, though.

There's no one else around looking for ties which is an improvement over the other sections. On the other hand, they are ties. It can't get more formal in Shinjirou's opinion. This stuff is for uniforms and business people. He makes a face, picking a random, marine-blue tie up and turning it over in his hands.

"Are you sure this isn't going to look silly on me? I guess if someone decides to choke you on the spot it's kind of useful."

"It's either this or a ribbon," he returns, the image of Gekkoukan's uniform flashing in his mind. "Besides, you don't have to wear it every time we go out. It's only for special occasions."

He picks up another tie as well, one in an even more subdued shade of blue. A second later, he puts it back down. "Of course, if you want to give someone a convenient handhold, I wouldn't object."

His grimace falls apart at the word ribbon. Wouldn't a bowtie be the more common alternative? He lowers his hand, eyes narrowing as he continues to stare at Jade. This is the second coincidence within less than an hour.

"Y-yeah, of course you wouldn't." Even the image of a blank-faced guest yanking on his tie can't shake the unease that settles over him like a cloud of dust. "A tie's better, then."

Busy with browsing the selection of ties, Jade doesn't look up, seemingly oblivious to the way Shinjirou is staring at him. It's not until the little stutter that he finally glances back at Shinjirou.

"I'm glad you agree." He takes a step closer, looking at the tie in Shinjirou's hands. "Have you made your choice?"

"... yes." Putting the tie on top of the vest, he tries to figure out how to word his concerns in a way that don't give away what he's worried about. His lips start to bleed slightly from all the gnawing and he licks it away in a hurry. He's not exactly good at being secretive, certainly not in Jade's league.

"Did you know that my old school uniform had ribbons?" It's direct, yes, but he's doing his best to sound casual, turning towards a selection of belts.

"Does it?" He sounds mildly curious as he moves behind Shinjirou, looping the tie around his neck. He doesn't do it up yet; just stands there, one hand resting against Shinjirou's neck, still lightly holding onto the tie. "Why ask now, all of a sudden?"