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."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jade seems awfully nice this morning, which normally would be suspicious -- after all that's happened in the last twenty-four hours, not so much anymore. Shinjirou decides to indulge himself. No need to prepare his body for a party and damn, the more he thinks about breakfast, the hungrier he gets.

He's halfway through the door by the time Jade speaks up again. Turning around, he crosses his arms over his chest. It sounds like a sensible idea to him, no matter how awkward it'll be now that his mind has cleared up. At least he'll be able to communicate what's wrong, if anything's wrong. "Uh-huh. Why not."

"If you're sure." Judging by the smile on Jade's face, he's pleased with the answer. He rises as well, heading towards the door, ready to get started with the day. There's a lot to be done, and even more to think about. He may have managed to squeeze some answers out of Shinjirou, but there's still the question of what to do with those answers, and whether or not they'll compromise the mission.

Risk and reward, he thinks as he heads for his study. Shinjirou is a valuable asset. Jade doesn't know if he'll be able to find someone so tractable again, and besides, he's spent too much time and effort on Shinjirou to let him go so easily.

He'll have the pills analyzed first, then decide on where to go from there.

Preparing breakfast is just as nice as expected. It's a simple task, there's no one around to bother him and the apron even hides some of the worst bruises. There's still the dark-red rings on his wrists that can't be hidden and they itch when he moves his hands too much, but it's not like he hates these reminders. They're just there, doing their job: reminding him that it's not a completely normal morning.

He hasn't had one of these in weeks, has he? Some day, they will be normal, he thinks.

Shaking his head, he drops two pancakes on each plate. The syrup is a lot sweeter than anything he's tasted the last few hours and he licks his fingers clean before washing them. While he sets the table for himself, he takes Jade's plate and balances it on one hand, knocking on his door. If Jade's busy already, Shinjirou figures he'll appreciate getting his food served where he can continue working.

"Come in," he calls, clearing a space on the desk. The pancakes smell good; he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but something like this is nice every once in awhile. He turns to smile at Shinjirou when he enters, but makes no move to get out of the chair.

"Go clean up then wait for me in the bedroom when you're finished eating," he instructs. "Take your time; I might be awhile. Something unexpected came up."

He's wearing his usual enigmatic smile, but other than that, there's no indication of whether this 'something' is good news or bad news.

The instructions are nothing out of the ordinary. Shinjirou smiles back, arms crossed in front of his chest. He's trying to get a peek at what Jade's doing, but he couldn't figure it out last time he did that and he doesn't want to stare and mess up the easy atmosphere.

"If you want a second serving, just call me. Uh. Not like you wouldn't do that anyway." He shrugs and turns around, catching one last glance at Jade's work. "Don't overexert yourself, alright?"

"You had a busy night, too." That's what he assumes, at least. Maybe not physically taxing like his own, but difficult all the same -- now that Shinjirou knows he isn't too far off from the truth, he can't help but poke at the limited knowledge a little.

He bows his head slightly, though, and makes his way towards the door. Intent on following the orders he's been given; I'll be good, he reminds himself.

Being a master of subtle poking and prodding himself, Jade can hardly fail to notice what Shinjirou is trying to do. He hides a smile and feeds him another tidbit of information, much like one would reward a dog with treats.

"Yes, my friend was determined to take a look at all the slaves on display. He was insistent that we sample some of them together." Turning to look at Shinjirou, Jade allows a smile to show, one that's bland yet vaguely foreboding. "I believe you were among his favourites, though."

His smile sharpens. "But if you had time to observe me, then clearly you weren't as focused as you could have been," he says, under the mistaken assumption that Shinjirou had actually been watching him. A distraction when all that stimulation had grown too overwhelming, he theorizes.

"Ugh." It's a bit like suddenly having a wasp attack his ear, hearing Jade talk about that friend of his. Biting his bottom lip from the inside, Shinjirou barely stops himself from groaning in exasperation. He doesn't want to be anyone's favorite, especially not that guy's. Weirdo. Arms crossed over his chest, he turns around and forces a smile.

The smile wavers as he tilts his head, tapping his fingers on the bruises that cover his arms. "I ... think I know you a little. Enough to figure out when you're glad that the only person you have to deal with is someone you can order to leave you alone." How risky of a statement that may be he can't figure out, though, and he waits at the door, not as patient as he'd like to feel.

Why, Shinjirou is growing quite bold. That could prove to be a problem later on. But for the moment, Jade can appreciate his spirit; it's why he had bought him instead of one of those quiet and broken slaves. Not just for the sake of achieving his objectives, but because he'd rather have someone bright and alive living with him, rather than someone who may as well be a dead fish.

He smiles indulgently. "You're correct. However, I'd much prefer not needing to give out orders."

His town is mild, but there's an implied dismissal there as well. He can't give Shinjirou too much leeway.

...And he really wants to get started on the pancakes.

"Alright, alright." Raising both hands in defense, he chuckles. He's proud of himself for only rolling his eyes inwardly. Whether Jade can tell what's going on inside of him or not anyway, that's a different story -- and not something Shinjirou dares to test. That'd mostly be testing his luck, which he's had a suspicious lot of the past few hours.

"Bon appétit." He shuts the door quietly, heaving a sigh. At least there's tasty food waiting for him, too, and none of the work Jade's busying himself with. The only thing Shinjirou's slightly worried about is whether Jade would mind finding him nodding off in the bedroom. Waiting in a place that comfy sounds like an invitation for sleep, especially with a full stomach.

Almost an hour passes before he finally goes to find Shinjirou. He doesn't bother to search through the rest of the house, just heads to the bedroom directly, trusting that Shinjirou would have obeyed his orders.

Things hadn't gone as well as he had hoped. He's worried, on edge, and while he hides it behind his usual mask of flawless calm, there's a fine tension in his steps as he enters the bedroom. Some stress relief would be nice, he thinks idly, then immediately berates himself. He shouldn't even be thinking about using Shinjirou as an outlet for his frustrations.

Picking at scabs has kept him awake. Shinjirou isn't particularly proud of the chosen method, but whatever works. Besides, he's made sure not to get any dead skin onto Jade's sheets. He sits up straight the very moment he hears the quiet creak of the door, hands folded in his lap. Frowning, his eyes wander up and down Jade's frame. He doubts the goosebumps he's getting -- Jade looks no different and if he's indeed stressed, that's not something Shinjirou can blame him for.

He leans back, head tilted. The best approach he can think of is to stay accessible, either way. "Huh. Already all done for today?"

He settles down, on the edge of the bed at first, then moves closer with no preamble when he decides that he'd prefer less distance between them. Shinjirou is clearly making an effort to please him; it seems like a shame to let his efforts go unappreciated.

"Not yet, but I have some time before I need to return to work." It'll take some time for his messages to be replied to, for contracts and negotiations and plans to find their way back to him. "In the meantime, let's take care of you."

Shinjirou is so close, so open, one point of stability among all this chaos. Jade studies him for a moment - then gives in and kisses him, tasting the syrup on his lips. When was the last time he had kissed Shinjirou just for the sake of kissing him, and not because of work? He doesn't remember. He isn't sure, in fact, where his work ends and their...relationship begins. If there is even a distinction between the two.

He pulls away after a moment, his usual light smile firmly in place. "Shall we begin?"

Shinjirou watches with quiet interest, not that it prepares him all that well for Jade's behavior. What Jade's telling him isn't surprising, he already figured that there would be more work. Isn't there always more of that?

His smile broadens when Jade edges closer. Perhaps Jade isn't in such a bad mood after all.

What follows is one highly unexpected move. Too dumbfounded to respond in any other way than closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss out of habit and need, the actual reaction starts when the kiss ends; both his eyebrows fly up to hide under his bangs. That was ... certainly nice and he almost raises a hand to check if his cheeks are indeed flushed.

Is it ever going to get easier? Predicting what's coming next, that is. He should ask for some fortune-telling books. In the meantime, he nods and feels like an idiot doing so. "Uh? Uh-huh. My wrists itch like hell."

If nothing else, at least he can still keep Shinjirou off-balance. There's the urge to kiss him again, followed by an urge to do even more, but Jade has plenty of practice at self-denial. He returns Shinjirou's nod with one of his own and reaches out for his hand.

"It looks like it's healing fine," he reports after a second. "I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the itching for a few more days."

At least the cream should help. Jade starts applying it in quick, practised motions.

"So," he begins, deciding he may as well keep trying to throw Shinjirou off-balance. "It looks like the weather might be getting colder soon. Would you like to wear clothes again?"

It's calming, having someone else do this. In fact it's so nice that Shinjirou's head ends up dropping onto Jade's shoulder. The cool of the cream stops the itch for a bit and he sighs, almost too content to question Jade's motives.

Jade can't be serious about this. Fine, he knows about the little problem Shinjirou's body has dealing with temperatures that others still find pleasant. Getting to wear a sweater and pants sounds far too kind, though. Too good to be true.

"Hah, yeah." He snorts, offering his other hand when Jade's finished taking care of the first. "You're just trying to trick me into wearing something weird... right?"

"Oh no, you caught me." Sarcasm hangs heavily in his voice. For once, his intentions had been wholly innocent. Shinjirou knows his place now, that much is clear. There's no need to constantly reinforce the lessons with a permanent low-grade buzz of dehumanization and objectification in the background.

Still, now that the question of outfits had been brought up, Jade turns it over in his mind, a contemplative expression on his face as he applies a generous amount of cream to Shinjirou's wrist.

Chuckling, he rolls his eyes. Is that a topic he should be laughing about? Perhaps not, but for some reason or another, while naturally doubtful ... he isn't exactly panicking here. And that's probably a good thing in the long run, considering Jade knows about Castor now. "I do, if it's alright."

His eyelids droop as he watches Jade work, nuzzling his neck to make up for his inability to simply believe what he's hearing all of a sudden. "Is it because you know I'll strip when you ask me to anyway?" If that's it, well. Shinjirou guesses he can see why putting clothes onto him isn't a problem anymore.

"Naturally," he admits smoothly, without a hint of self-consciousness. Then he switches tactics. "Of course, that's not the only factor. Is it so hard to believe that I care for you?"

This is one part of Shinjirou he hasn't spent much time exploring yet: how he responds to concern, to affection, to love. It's something Jade had been purposefully avoiding; it seems unnecessarily cruel to manipulate him in this manner, even for his purposes. But what he's doing right now is just an investigation. Not manipulation. He can always brush it off with a haha, just kidding later.

That's a question far more difficult than he expected and he squirms in turn, but stays put all the same. Showing just how much that topic bothers him won't help anyone, least of all himself. "I ... don't know?"

"It would be smarter if you didn't. I mean, apart from making sure I don't, uh, become useless. And you're not an idiot." He's tried and failed spectacularly at not caring, times and times again. Shinjirou can't see Jade making mistakes like that more than once. But then Jade just kissed him and he isn't complaining about the closeness now either. Which -- is that a sign of affection, or merely Jade not minding Shinjirou's antics? "I can't tell. Sorry."

Instantly missing the warmth, he leans back to look up at Jade. "If you do care, you should stop."

All valid points, but Jade brushes them aside, not about to let go so soon now that he's found a point of vulnerability.

"Why?" He counters, as casually as if they're having a regular conversation. He smiles at Shinjirou indulgently, red eyes glittering. "Someone should, since you seem to have little interest in caring for yourself."

It's not entirely an exaggeration. Shinjirou had demonstrated a reckless lack of regard for his own life so far, and that's even without considering how pliant he is when the right leverage is applied. Honestly, it's a miracle that nobody had taken advantage of him before before Jade had.

"That's ..." Not true would be an embarrassingly obvious lie. He shrinks under that smile, averting his eyes. Akihiko cares for him, but it's relatively easy to push him away -- again and again. Someone like Jade, on the other hand, is a lot harder to impress. Well, he's older. Plus, Shinjirou isn't sure if he'd risk a fist fight with Jade.

"And you're that person?" He looks at his hands, wrists still glistening from the cream. It feels too good to have someone's shoulder to lean on, someone to treat your wounds. It's a trap he can't fall into. There's people who deserve this; he isn't one of them and he mustn't forget. The carrot dangling in front of him makes it hard to keep that in mind, though. Mouth dry, he continues in a much smaller voice and with one hand grasping for Jade's sleeve. "I don't know. Even if that's true, could you not let me believe it?"

Sometimes he forgets just how young Shinjirou is, but then he tugs on his sleeve like a nervous child, and Jade remembers. He makes a considering noise as he turns over Shinjirou's words in his mind. There's so much self-loathing there, Jade doesn't know if he could help, or if he even should, when this is part of Shinjirou's repentance. All he knows is that Shinjirou can't last very long like this.

"Are you asking me to be even harsher with you?" His voice is still light, still playful. He's careful not to agree or disagree with anything; for all his faults, Jade isn't very fond of making promises he isn't sure he'll be able to keep.

"What? No." He wraps his fingers around Jade's hand, finally looking up at him. Despite the pout he can't force off his face and the knowledge that Jade will just find that amusing. Shinjirou can't bring himself to glare at Jade, though. But he's already naked and bruised, so that would probably not look all that frightening anyway.

"Ugh. I can't tell you what to do. I don't want to." What with the chances of that firing back and all, on top of the fact that he'd feel bad for getting what he asks for. And he desperately wants to believe his own words when he says, "If you want to be kind and shit, whatever."

"Is that an attempt at reverse psychology?" Jade teases, curling his fingers against Shinjirou's in a gesture that might be sweet, if it came from anybody else. He leans in to kiss Shinjirou again, mouth curled into a smile against Shinjirou's downturned lips. His free hand skims down the curve of Shinjirou's spine, the fingers of his hand barely brushing the skin, slow and suggestive as they move.

He can't solve Shinjirou's problems for him. His self-loathing is something he'll have to resolve on his own; the best Jade can do is not needlessly aggravate it.

But Shinjirou also wants to be useful. Used. That, Jade can help him with.

...Or at least, that's the reasoning he uses to smooth away the last of his reservations. If he wants this, and Shinjirou does as well, then there's no reason to hold back.

He wants to say that he's not smart enough for that, yet holding his breath from the moment their fingers interlace to feeling Jade's lips on his own renders that impossible. Despite his initial reaction -- a small grumble -- he closes his eyes and responds, albeit slowly, by opening his mouth against Jade's.

This isn't the time to let his guard down, not again, not so soon. On the other hand, he can't figure out what strategy would work here and it's hard to come up with anything when goosebumps settle on him, head to toe. Some of the bruises on his back react without any pressure applied, as if expecting the burn of pain were enough to beckon it into being. Holding perfectly still throughout the journey down, Shinjirou ends up relaxing with an audible sigh giving him away.

None of this is exactly good; at least he isn't used to this sort of treatment enough to know what the right approach would be. Pushing Jade away? Always an option. However, he doesn't want to betray his own words. And all that's left, then, is to follow his instincts and urges. They suck; he ends up with his free hand clutching Jade's shoulder to pull him closer.