roneal | (no subject)

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?"

His hand stops mid-air, still a few inches away from a simple brown belt. "You mentioned ribbons?" He turns his head, chin brushing over Jade's arm. They are dancing around the issue here and it doesn't matter who'll step on whose feet, in the end it's going to hurt him, not Jade.

His blood pumps through his veins, neck twitching with his pulse. "Just small talk."

"Ah." He can almost feel Shinjirou's heartbeat pounding under his fingertips. Tension is radiating off him in waves, but Jade chooses not to comment on it. "In that case, no, I wasn't aware of it."

He doesn't usually lie outright, but in this instance, he's aiming to unsettle Shinjirou. It doesn't really matter if he's convincing or not.

"I thought ties were a more common choice for senior grades?" His other hand is on Shinjirou's tie now, toying with the silky fabric between his fingers. "Or did you leave before then?"

In that case, Jade says and Shinjirou shuts his eyes, eyebrows knitting together. Jade must have known. A slight tremble running through his body, Shinjirou hugs himself. What else does Jade know about him -- more importantly, what does Jade know about Mitsuru and Aki?

Bending forward as if to fight off stomach cramps, he tries to find his voice and a way, any way, to calm down. It wouldn't help his case if he started freaking out in public. "Guess the principal likes ribbons." His voice sounds strained, but he manages to get the sentence out without tripping over the words.

"And technically I'm still enrolled."

"It won't be long until they forget about you, I hope." The school might be used to Shinjirou's absence, but as long as he remained on their records, the potential for an investigation still remained. "Though I suppose you're old enough to drop out officially."

Shinjirou's body language is becoming unacceptably extreme; they might attract attention if this goes on. Jade crosses the two ends of the tie together, right over Shinjirou's throat. "Stand up straight. Is something wrong?"

"I bet they're glad I'm gone." Except for two people -- and those two are the only ones that matter to him. All the others, students and teachers alike, he's never gotten along with anyway. Gossiping little shits that went pale the moment he popped up in person.

He takes a deep breath, then rolls his shoulders and straightens. "... you know what's wrong." He raises both hands, wrapping his fingers around Jade's grip. Despite everything, the physical contact soothes him. "Can I please sit down for a minute? I'm dizzy."

His hands still when Shinjirou grip closes around them, but Jade doesn't protest. Neither does he deny that he knows exactly what is bothering Shinjirou.

"Now?" He asks instead. "We'll have lunch after this. Can you hold on until then?"

"... yeah, I think so." He's the opposite of hungry. His stomach is filled with worries heavy as a boulder, but he knows it's important to eat and if it means getting the chance to sit down, then there's that too.

He drops his hands slowly. It's difficult to stand the way Jade wants him to when he'd rather dash and hide from the attention. Staring at Jade, though his eyes are unfocused, surprisingly helps. Even if Jade knows things Shinjirou would have rather kept away from him, he still doesn't want to disappoint him.

"What about that tie now?"

"Let me take care of it." He doesn't meet Shinjirou's stare, wary of putting too much pressure on him. Shinjirou is doing well so far; his body feels stiff, small tremors running through his muscles, but he's standing straight and that's what matters the most.

Jade works faster than he had in the changing room. They're no longer alone in the aisle now; Jade can feel curious eyes watching them, and he acts accordingly, quick and deft as he does up the tie. But his touches are far from innocent. His hands brush along Shinjirou's neck, his chest, and when he pulls the length of tie taut against Shinjirou's neck, it's with a very deliberate intent.

When he finishes, he pulls the tie up tighter than it needs to be.

He can feel the eyes of the other customers on him, but tries to ignore the growing unease. His skin prickles below the fabric, cold sweat breaking out mere seconds before Jade continues his work. And then his body heats up as if on cue.

Taking a sharp breath, he cups one hand with the other, fidgeting. The sudden tightness drags a surprised sound of discomfort from his lips. He could loosen the tie; he doesn't. The pain is good. It grounds him, it distracts him. "Do you like it?" He's not sure if he's asking about the tie anymore; when he quietly adds, "I think I do," he's talking about the sensations, not the look.

He's not even glanced at the tie, after all.

Jade smooths the shirt collar over the tie.

"Then let's keep it." He's not exactly talking about the tie either. They'll have to be careful, of course, but Jade doesn't see the harm in keeping it this way for now. It's a good look for Shinjirou anyway. He looks very proper, his warm cheeks the only sign that there's something going on below the surface.

After adjusting the tie one last time to center it properly, Jade lets go. "Did you pick out a belt yet?"

He nods, jaw brushing over Jade's hands. Perhaps he'll get used to this look eventually, if he manages to find elements to it that override the feeling of wearing a ridiculous costume. The tie sending painful pressure through his neck each time he inhales is a good start.

Blindly he reaches for a simple black belt. Letting it run through both of his hands, his mind paints a picture of red streaks across his back. It's better to think about than fearing Aki may learn about his secrets, though his chest feels uncomfortably tight. He holds the belt up higher for Jade to take a closer look.

"This one?"

A quick check for defects, then he nods. Shinjirou has a look on his face, one that Jade is starting to associate with him trying to tune out. He'll have to train it out of him.

Not today, though.

"I think that's everything we need. Unless you'd like to have more?" He does his best to sound inviting, although he doubts Shinjirou will take him up on his offer.

"No." Jade has already said no to the turtleneck shirt. Anything Shinjirou's interested in will meet Jade's disapproval anyway. He's not in the mood to find out if there's an exception. On another day, maybe. "Thank you."

A woman sneaks past him, smiling coyly, their shoulders touching. He immediately takes a step forward to make room for her and get away from her at the same time. Telepathy may not be a thing that exists, but he doesn't want to risk traumatizing anyone with his thoughts. "Let's leave."