roneal | (no subject)

The next morning, Jade is gone. On the nightstand is a note:

Something unexpectedly came up. I should be back at around 15:30. In the meantime, please fix yourself a meal and get started on your chores for the day.

There is a list under the message, almost identical to the chores he had given him the previous day.

Nothing about the house had changed. The closet is unlocked, the clothes within easy reach. The main door and back door can both are both unlockable from the inside. All in all, it's the perfect escape opportunity.

Of course it is. It's meant to be a test.

Jade more or less encouraged him to sleep in and he does just that. It's past ten when he slowly blinks his eyes open. The pain in his legs is intense and everything from his waist down feels swollen. He parts his thighs, rolls onto his back -- but that is painful as well. His own words echo in his mind.

For nearly an hour, he lies there and stares at the ceiling. The flashbacks squeeze the air out of his lungs. He doesn't notice that Jade isn't there the entire time. Only when he's calmed down enough to sit up and look around, and listen, does it become obvious. He gets up, legs wobbly as he makes his way over to read the note.

He's alone.

His breath hitches and he wipes at his face. He could get out of this. Pretend it never happened. Run away and ... and then? Have even more nightmares, be even more unable to look Aki in the eye. The note crumples up in his fist as he stands there, eyes closed, frozen to the ground.

A few moments later he drops the piece of paper and leaves the bedroom. He makes late breakfast for himself, fulfills every duty with great care and doesn't even try the locks. Stay busy, concentrate on the task at hand, whatever it is; don't think.

It's almost four by the time the front door swings open and Jade returns. He's carrying a large, heavy bag, and in his hands is a leash, connecting him to the dog padding obediently alongside him: a large German Shepherd who glances at its new surroundings with keen curiosity.

Once he shuts and locks the door, Jade puts the bag down. With the dog in tow, he sets off to find Shinjirou.

Done with the housework, he's been hiding under the blanket on the futon for the past few minutes. If Jade isn't even there, he's not abusing his safe space in any way, he figures. He's tried taking a nap, but given up on that quickly. There's no position that is truly comfortable and he's slept well during the night, so he's not really tired.

He flinches when he hears footsteps. Should he get up to greet Jade? Probably. It would be the polite thing to do. He stays in bed, as if rooted to the ground.

He looks through the kitchen first, then the laundry room and the garage. Shinjirou should be in the house; the door had been locked, which means he hasn't left. Besides, Jade thought he had a good idea of how he ticked. Still, he can't help feel a twinge of worry as he searches. It's always disappointing when his investments don't pay off.

Finally, he reaches the bedroom, and smiles inwardly when he sees the lump on the futon. "Stay," he tells the dog, who immediately drops to its belly and wags its tail. Jade gives it a light scratch behind the ears and steps across the threshold.

"Already worn out this early in the day?" He asks lightly, knowing full well that something else is wrong.

Shinjirou of course thinks the order is for him, not that it makes any sense. Shouldn't Jade rather ask for the opposite? And he can hear odd, quick breathing through the fabric. Jade wouldn't talk to a guest like that, so that can't be it.

There's not enough time to figure it out when Jade's obviously talking to him now. Squeezing his eyes shut, he nibbles on his bottom lip. No, the ground isn't about to swallow him whole. He's been waiting for that all day. Well, for years, today is just an exceptionally bad day.

"No. And it's not early."

"It's only four," he points out, which to him is quite early.

But that's not really the point here.

He sits on his bed again, much like he had yesterday night. Shinjirou is in his safe space, he reminds himself. As much as he might like to push and prod at him until he figures out what's wrong (not that it's hard to guess), he'll have to refrain from doing so. Or at least, keep it subtle.

First, though, he should try to get him out of his shell.

Casually, he says: "By the way, I brought someone home with me. Say hello to Irvin."

At the sound of its name, the dog looks up, ears pricked.

Jade lied to him, it's getting late, his nerves are frayed and considering that this is supposed to be his safe space, he's getting rather annoyed on top of all the other negative emotions he's had to deal with since waking up.

"Hello, Irvin," he mutters. Irvin barks in return.

Bark?

His eyes widen. Shinjirou throws the blanket back, shooting up. It's not a joke, there's an actual dog sitting on the floor, tilting his head at him. With actual dog ears and a dog tail and beautiful loyal eyes. Shinjirou has momentarily forgotten about Jade's presence and all the things bothering him. There's a dog.

He walks over, crouching down in front of him. "Hi, Irvin," he coos, extending his hand so the dog may sniff it. "You're so pretty, look how shiny your fur is. I'm Shinji."

"Oh good," Jade gets up slowly, not wanting to startle either of them. "I was worried you might be allergic."

He stands a few paces away, giving Shinjirou his personal space. Much like his lack of understanding towards human relationships, he doesn't understand affection for animals either. Shinjirou's sudden turnaround is surprising, to say the least.

Once it appears that Irvin has accepted him as non-dangerous, Shinjirou wastes no time and hugs the dog, burying his face in his fur. This is normal. That he's naked and a chain is draped over his chest does little to minimize his joy. Giving Irvin a few good scratches, he finds himself unwilling to let go.

"You're a good dog, right? Yes, you are. Good boy!"

The dog barks again in response, his tail waving happily. But as moments pass and the hug continues, it snorts quietly and tries to wriggle out of Shinjirou's grasp.

Jade observes it all with an amused smile. But his gaze is sharp and alert as he watches the way Shinjirou holds onto the animal, in a way that looks almost desperate. "He'll be staying with us for a week."

While he'd like to hold on for a bit longer, he doesn't want to upset the dog. Reluctantly, he releases his grip. One hand stays in the dog's neck, though, still petting him. He refuses to look at Jade.

"A week? You're going to stay with us for an entire week, Irvin? Yes?" Dogs are easier to talk to and Irvin is no exception. "We'll play together lots!"

It's easy to see he's being ignored. Perhaps he should say something about it, but he doesn't want to fight with a dog for attention; that's just demeaning and reminds him entirely too much of Peony and his pets. Besides, Shinjirou had completed his chores for the day. His time now is his own.

"I left some toys for him at the front door. Feel free to use them; you'll be responsible for looking after Irvin." He steps closer, intending to slip past them and out of the bedroom. "I'd like to have dinner at seven, but other than that, you're free for the night."

Free for the night. That does get his attention and he glances up. Brows furrowed, he makes sure to keep petting Irvin. He's wary of Jade, not of the dog, after all. No need to scare him. That's what he tells himself, knowing without the support of the touch, he would be the one freaking out, not Irvin.

"Why." First Jade is giving him a chance to flee and now he's giving him a dog to take care of and play with. He hasn't done anything that should earn him either of the two. Getting a bed is good enough. So ... this must lead up to something different.

Jade stops mid-step, turning around to glance at Shinjirou. "I usually have dinner at seven," he says, feigning ignorance. "The last two days were an aberration. I'm sure you understand why."

His blatant sidestepping of the issue also serves as a warning: Shinjirou isn't meant to question his commands and the reasoning behind them, much less demand an explanation. Jade has never been transparent and he isn't about to start now, especially not to his slave.

Now that he's not drunk, not high on hormones, it's surprisingly easy to lift his head higher and snap, "No." He holds Jade's gaze, jaw clenched. Though a few seconds are enough to make his stomach turn, he withstands the urge to apologize and avert his eyes, sitting up straight.

There's too much he doesn't understand and the bits he does get, he can't accept just like that.

This was bound to come sooner or later. Jade meets his gaze steadily, impassive. It's not often he has someone seriously confront him, and usually his approach is to concede ground - arguing is a waste of effort, and there's precious little he feels strongly enough about to fight for. This is obviously not an option here.

But he knows how to be diplomatic. Shinjirou had decided to stay; now it's simply a matter of convincing him he made the right choice. "Is something the matter?"

"No, just asking you a question and not getting a proper answer, is all." He's getting into the sort of mood where he'd rather punch than talk, he can feel it. Heartbeat speeding up, his head suddenly light, heat radiating off his skin, muscles in his back tensing -- breathe, he thinks.

He gets up, slowly, leaving enough distance between him and Jade that the chain isn't within his immediate reach. Getting into a fight with a dog between them isn't a good idea, but he can't bow down now. Either that fire is going to be extinguished, or it's going to burn him down.

Violence isn't far off, he can feel it. Jade shifts his stance subtly, standing light on his feet, ready to dodge. Fistfights are not his forte, but he's learnt a few tricks over the years.

He's hoping it won't come to blows, however.

"It's making you angry, I see." His voice is still steady, his expression calm. "You told me you couldn't control yourself when angry. Should I be afraid?"

No. No one should have to be afraid of him. He doesn't want that, he doesn't want to give anyone a reason to be afraid. It happens, again and again, and on the streets it might have saved him more than once. His fingers flex as he tries not to clench them into a fist.

"Shut up." He takes another step back. Just to be safe. If anything, he doesn't want to hurt Irvin accidentally. None of this is the dog's fault. "Shut the fuck up."

He stands his ground, observing Shinjirou's actions, trying to gauge where he would land his first blow. If he would. He seems to be holding himself back, stepping away instead of trying to crowd into Jade's personal space. There's also the dog in between them - surely Shinjirou wouldn't hurt something he had been hugging and cooing over just a few minutes ago?

For a moment, Jade is quiet, wondering if he should back down peacefully. But he can't just follow Shinjirou's commands; that would cause him to be seen as weak, and he can't afford that.

"I shouldn't have to compensate for your deficiencies," Jade says coolly. This situation will have to be resolved someday; it might as well be today, when he hasn't invested as much time and effort into Shinjirou as he could have.

He's still hoping that this could be resolved peacefully. Perhaps if he turns Shinjirou's anger and loathing against himself...

"Deficiencies?" He stiffens, instinctively seeking the physical support of the wall. The nearest corner is still too far away to press into, unfortunately. There's too much room all around him, nothing to ground him. His breathing exercise fails and he inhales in sharp bursts.

It's the voice in the back of his head that's making him the angriest: kneel, apologize, submit. He growls, staring back with his hackles raised. "Piss off. You don't know anything about me."

Judging by the erratic way he's breathing, Shinjirou is really beginning to lose control now. The growling only confirms it. He looks like a cornered animal, and Jade has to wonder if he's afraid as well as angry. He hopes so.

"I know plenty." More than Shinjirou thinks, probably, but he doesn't see the need to reveal the fact he's been digging into his history. "You've told me plenty, and your behaviour now only confirms it."

He takes a step forward. "You're quite the hazard to those around you, aren't you?"

"No, it doesn't." Jade taking a step closer leads to Shinjirou taking another step back. One side pressed against the wall, he glances away for a second. A mistake he tries to make up for by glaring at Jade. This isn't confirming anything; he knows it confirms everything.

His voice cracks. "I'm not a hazard, I'm just." Scared. Confused. And he has no fucking clue how to deal with it other than lash out. He knows that. It sucks, he hates it, but as long as he isn't around people, everyone is safe. Shit, he should have left. Live in the woods by himself. He grabs for the closest piece of furniture and throws it to the ground.

"Fuck off!"

It's not something breakable, thankfully, but it makes a heavy thud as it lands on the floor. Irvin jumps and growls, backing away. Jade doesn't even blink.

"You're doing an excellent job of proving my point." Shinjirou could have just as easily thrown that at him, Jade realizes. It seems his desire to not cause harm trumps even his anger. But just how long can he hold on to that tenuous control? "You're dangerous. You need to be restrained."