roneal | (no subject)

(no subject)

The market is, objectively speaking, a miserable place. Precious few of the merchandise are happy to be there, nude and bound and collared - sometimes even caged - free for every prospective customer to examine. Few of the customers are happy either. Prices are high, and the press of so many bodies create a stifling atmosphere.

All in all, it is exactly what Jade had expected. He strolls leisurely through the market, not particularly bothered by what is going on around him. It was one of the reasons he had been chosen for this assignment. Today is his first day at the market; he's meant to speak with the vendors, make connections, and walk away with a cheap but handy acquisition.

He's working on the last part now. It's surprisingly difficult to find someone useful and docile, but still with some spirit left - he does not trust the older slaves who are complacent with the system.

It's during his second time looping through the market that someone catches his eye - for all the wrong reasons. He stops, stares at the familiar figure in front of him, an uncharacteristically surprised expression flashing over his face.

Then he's smiling again. He's still unsure if this is a good turn of events, but perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

"My my, I didn't expect to see you here."

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Shinjirou looks... Jade can't even find the right word. Filthy. Used. Fragile. Frankly, he's amazed that he's still responsive.

Jade doesn't let any hint of judgement show on his face; none of this is Shinjirou's fault, rather, all his disgust is directed at himself. To Shinjirou, he only smiles encouragingly, crouching down in front of him. His coworker was right. He is sick, sick enough to find Shinjirou's state fascinating, sick enough to still be curious about Shinjirou's breaking point.

None of this is news, exactly. All the more reason not to wallow in his guilt.

"Your throat must be burning," he comments. "Don't talk. Do you want anything to drink?"

It's easier to look at Jade now that they're on the same level. And Jade looks happy. Sighing, Shinjirou drops the smile and spaces out for a few seconds during which all he does is stare at the floor. Still, he is listening to Jade and his words make sense, just not immediately. When they finally do, he blinks and nods. Water, good old water. That'd be great.

It'd also be great to be free again. Crawling around like a captured bird has been an exciting experience, but now he desperately wants to cover himself. Not to hide from Jade. Mostly from himself.

He leaves Shinjirou bound for the moment (he looks disoriented enough without overwhelming him with new sensations), and goes retrieve a thermos flask from his bag.

"Drink slowly," he warns, raising it to Shinjirou's lips and gently tilting it down. The water inside is still warm. Carefully, he wraps an arm around Shinjirou's shoulders to support him, uncaring of the way it immediately dirties his jacket. It can always be cleaned later.

At first he's hesitant to open his mouth, even turns his head away. Having something poke his lips triggers the fear of more pain. Though noticing that it's just a cup of water, he begins to sip. More than once he stops without warning, or rather seems to forget that swallowing is an integral part of drinking, and water spills over his chin.

Each time someone walks past them, he gets distracted, eyes following the movement. Once the cup is empty, this gets worse and he ends up openly staring at people. Never at their faces, only at their feet. Raising his head is too exhausting.

Jade is patient and gentle through it all, lowering the cup whenever Shinjirou falters, arm still wrapped around his shoulders. He doesn't move from his place until Shinjirou is completely done, and even then, he's as careful as he would be around a skittish lab animal.

"I'm going to unbind you now." He frees Shinjirou arms first, then his legs, neatly setting the ropes and spreader bar to the side. Shinjirou's splintered attention is noted, but Jade doesn't bring it up; the best thing to do would be to remove him from the situation as soon as possible. And that means leaving the room and heading into the showers. "Can you stand?"

Inch by inch he pulls his arms forward. His muscles are stiff and the slightest change seems to tear them. Eventually, though he's holding himself up awkwardly, his hands hover over chest and crotch. The bruises have all darkened, black and blue and purple shimmering below the white stripes of come. Even his cock has suffered the same abuse. He's tender all over.

Despite all that, he nods. His legs don't hurt a bit. He should be able to get up on his own -- but that's just misleading. The second he tries to stand, he plops down, knees hitting the floor. His legs are numb, from hips to toes, insects seemingly crawling under his skin. They tickle. Pathetic, how he sits there like a child that hasn't yet learned how to walk.

He had half-expected Shinjirou to fall, but not that quickly. Jade crouches beside him again, subtly adjusting his position to shield Shinjirou from the rest of the room. It probably won't help much, but he wants Shinjirou to focus on him right now.

"It's alright. Take your time, we're not in any rush." He rubs at Shinjirou's thighs, partly to get his circulation flowing again, partly to draw his attention. Perhaps a reassuring smile would help, but no; Jade doesn't see the need to go to such lengths to offer comfort.

Frustrating. Jade isn't very interesting to look at. Not as interesting as all the masters tending to their slaves. Furrowing his brows, Shinjirou looks him in the eye at last, though his gaze strays even now. "Hah," he groans, lips barely parted, and watches Jade massage his legs. Heat follows the insects which isn't comfortable either at first, though he can feel his toes again ... that's good news.

Eventually, he puts one hand on the wall and tries to pull himself up. His face twists, something in his chest stabbing him from the inside out. He stands, but hunched and uncertain, one hand cupping a dark, swollen bruise on the lower end of his rib cage.

Shinjirou's expression is so pained that Jade can almost feel it himself. For a second, he worries about internal injuries, but he's confident that nobody had kicked him that hard.

"I'll help you treat those later," he promises. "I have some cream in my bag."

But first, he has to remove the plug. It's slippery under his fingers; he barely has to tug for it to come sliding out, wet enough that it makes a noise. He leaves Shinjirou leaning against the wall while he stashes it away (out of sight and out of mind, isn't that how it goes?), returning a brief second later.

"Do you think you can walk?" He watches him, eyes dark with concern that he can't entirely hide.

The removal may be smooth, but the wet pop when the plug comes out surprises him and makes him jump. There's a steady flow of come running down his legs when he takes his first, experimental step even before Jade's back at his side.

Shinjirou looks up, in the wrong direction. Someone has just talked to him, right? Blinking, he turns his head until Jade appears before his eyes. Yes, that'd make sense, Jade asking him that. Then what's the answer ... he's slow and his chest hurts when he attempts to straighten. He manages to shuffle forward just fine and that is some sort of walking, he guesses. Shinjirou nods, staring at Jade's shoulder.

There's little Jade can do except wait and give Shinjirou the time he needs. But he can't wait forever, and he was just about to gently prompt Shinjirou for an answer when he finally nods. The vacant stare is concerning, however, but they can take things one step at a time.

Very literally.

He offers his arm to Shinjirou. "Lean on me. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

That's very odd. He's not in any shape or form to raise an eyebrow at the offer. It's very kind, that's for sure. And that's the odd part. Shinjirou doesn't waste any time, though, putting some of his weight onto Jade. Better than the slippery wall. He hums to make up for not being able to say thank you. His throat isn't up to the task of showing gratitude.

With Jade's help, he manages to walk all the way to the showers without stumbling. He wonders where the strength in his legs went and when it will return as he stands below the shower head, eyes roaming the new room. As soon as he looks at something new, he's already forgotten about the other corner. Dizzy, he ends up looking at his feet. That's boring, but also not confusing.

After a second of thought, Jade strips as well, heading into the shower with Shinjirou. Right now, he doesn't trust him to be alone. They had more than enough to worry about without the risk of Shinjirou cracking his head open against the floor, or worse.

"Just keep looking down," he instructs, burying his fingers into Shinjirou's come-stained hair without hesitation. They're in the shower; they'll both be washed clean when they're done. Gently, he begins massaging the scalp, frowning slightly at the stickiness.

Things had gotten very out of hand tonight. He had never thought- no, that isn't strictly true. He knew just how brutal humans could be when they have power. None of this should be a surprise.

It's an automatic response to put his hands onto Jade's chest, just a light touch that makes him feel more steady on his feet than he really is. Finally some time to relax. He closes his eyes and sighs, letting Jade work in peace. Bit by bit the tension leaves his body and that's great -- he doesn't hurt as much this way.

Once his face is clean, he dares to press a sleepy kiss into Jade's neck. The water is warm, his muscles unlock under the hot stream and the come is all going down the drain. Jade's nice, without mocking him. Shinjirou considers that a good sign. Despite behaving badly once, it seems like he's done something right tonight. That's more important than the stabbing in his chest or that he looks like a smurf.

He takes the kiss and the touch of hands as a good sign; Shinjirou is finally focusing on him again. It takes awhile to wash out all the come out of Shinjirou's hair. It clings stubbornly, sticking the shaggy hair together into even messier clumps. But the methodical work comes as a relief after all those hours spent carefully choosing his words, and Jade finds himself soothed rather than disgusted.

Shinjirou still smells of sex even when he's done, but the organizers had been thoughtful enough to provide scented soap. He reaches for it now, not jostling Shinjirou from his place, and begins carefully washing his back.

That he's forced to stand is a pity. He'd rather sit or even lie down. Shinjirou isn't complaining, though. Resting his head on Jade's shoulder, he moves any way Jade needs him to, not all that unlike to what he'd done for all the strangers.

His breathing slows down, lids fluttering now that they aren't nearly glued shut anymore. It's so nice to have the mess washed off his body, a weight gone from his shoulders. Like pulling off old, broken skin. Piece by piece the dirt's removed and he becomes lighter. He's trembling, legs heavy and hot. Belatedly, he realizes he's slipping.

Jade tightens his grip, but doesn't pause in his work. If anything, he speeds up. "This will only take a few more minutes," He murmurs, almost directly into Shinjirou's ear. If Shinjirou isn't so dirty, perhaps he could justify leaving it at this, but as it stands there's still traces of come stuck to Shinjirou's skin, and the smell of all those men hanging heavy in the air. Jade doesn't want to stop until all it's all gone.

"You've come this far already. Can you make it?"

"Yes." Speaking is like swallowing freshly molten sugar: it burns from the tip of his tongue to his lungs. He plants his feet onto the ground, arms wrapping around Jade's neck. While he lacks the strength to stand on his own, holding on to someone fixes the problem at least partially. The dim feeling of weak bones doesn't disappear, but he doesn't fall and that's what matters.

When the sweet scent of soap fills his nostrils, Shinjirou sighs. He likes the smell of sex, normally. Sweat and desire and something more basic than that. However, in this case, he thinks he may prefer the clean flavor of some fruit or flower that he can even taste on his tongue. He breathes open-mouthed against Jade's neck, though by now he's opened his eyes as well, watching the veins and muscles work.

He has to wash Shinjirou's front eventually, but he turns him around so that Shinjirou's back is lying flush against his chest while he soaps him up. Watching the last of the mess swirl away and disappear down the drain is oddly cathartic. He'd like to stand under the spray for a little longer to give Shinjirou time to relax fully, but Shinjirou seems like he's about to collapse any second. Carefully, Jade shuts off the shower, and helps Shinjirou out and into a waiting towel.

There's a bench right outside the showers. Jade pushes at Shinjirou's shoulders, wordlessly directing him into sitting down. "Can you dry off by yourself? I need to finish a last few things, then we can leave."

Jade finishes just when he's about to fall asleep under the gentle ministrations and the constant stream of hot water. Scowling, he lets himself be pulled out of the shower and wrapped into a towel. It's soft, so at least there's that.

Once he sits, he starts tapping the towel onto his wet skin. He can't bend forward to dry off his knees and feet -- it hurts too much -- but there are many other tender areas that need the same attention. His dick looks disgusting, he thinks, his entire groin purple from people crashing him down into the wood with their thrusts.

Hair still dripping, he eventually leans back against the wall and waits, the towel draped across his lap. He isn't cold, but he'd rather not catch a glimpse of himself at the moment.

It only takes a few minutes for him to get dressed again and go wrap everything up, then he's heading back to the showers, his back in tow. Shinjirou is right where he had left him (not that Jade had expected otherwise), looking no more alert than he had earlier. Hopefully a good night's rest will be enough to fix it.

Jade offers his arm again. "Are you ready to leave? I have a change of clothing here, and some more water if you need it."

Instinctively, Shinjirou reaches out and grabs Jade's arm. His hold is forceful at first, with no concept of how much strength he has left or already regained, but it loosens up a moment later. He pulls himself to his feet, swaying, then finding his balance.

Water and clothes.

He doesn't know what he wants first. Wearing clothes has the potential to hurt, if they're too tight-fitting. "Water," he mutters, barely opening his mouth. Doesn't prevent his sore throat from stinging, no, but it does make it less painful.

Jade has the thermos ready. This time, he doesn't raise it to Shinjirou's lips, just places it into his shaking hand. If he can grip his arm with that much force (a few seconds later, and it's still aching), then he's ready to try drinking on his own.

"Take it slow," he repeats, just in case Shinjirou had already forgotten his earlier warnings. "And try not to choke, it'll just aggravate your throat even more."

If Jade weren't right about his throat being useless at the moment, he'd have snapped that he isn't stupid. Alas, it's true and he obediently does as told, sipping and swallowing only when he's absolutely sure he won't mess up. He can't tell how long it takes him to finish, but eventually he hands Jade the cup and takes the clothes.

"Ugh." Eyes squeezed shut, he freezes mid-movement. The fabric feels like sandpaper on his skin. He winces when the pant legs wrap around his scabbed knees and again when he pulls the zipper up. Somehow it's worse than his earlier confinement. This isn't supposed to hurt, he thinks, and that must be it.

Shinjirou's motor skills seem to have mostly returned. That's something to be grateful for, at least. Patient as ever, Jade packs away the thermos and waits, frowning when he sees how every brush of fabric has Shinjirou tensing and flinching. The clothes are already the loosest he could find (in fact, they don't even belong to him), but it looks like it isn't much help.

Still, there's nothing to do except wait and resist the temptation to adjust Shinjirou's clothes. He offers his arm again when Shinjirou finishes. "Your hair is still wet, but I suppose this will have to do. Let's go back to the house; I can give you some honeyed tea before you sleep."

Maybe it's a good thing Shinjirou is in too much pain to talk back. Jade doesn't particularly feel like having a discussion right now.