roneal | (no subject)

He raises an eyebrow at the jacket, but slips into it anyway. There's little that differentiates him from a student in these clothes and he doesn't appreciate that at all. Complaining about it would give too much away, possibly, and maybe even keep him locked up. He's been looking forward to spending time outside and not naked for the first time in days. He's not going to risk it now.

Standing unnaturally upright instead of his usual slouch, thanks to his back hurting too much if he does the latter, he nods at Jade. "Thanks. I'll be back by then. Uhm." He returns to Irvin's side, giving the dog a quick pat on the head. "When I come back, should I, uh. You know, undress again or how's this going to work?"

He pauses for a moment, then nods. "Unless I say otherwise, keep yourself undressed. It's how other slaves are presented."

Not that it's much of a concern for him. Mostly, he's worried about Shinjirou's back. Shinjirou looks a bit uncomfortable in the clothes - lots of tugging, a bit of fidgeting - it makes Jade want to order him to keep them on for longer, but he resists.

"Now, are you ready? I have a leash for Irvin waiting outside as well. Everything you need should be on the table. You can take my shoes."

If Shinjirou doesn't run this time (and Jade doesn't think he will), they'll have to see about getting clothes for him that actually fit. It'd be a good opportunity to take him shopping for something else as well.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

It's odd. It's normal. Irvin follows him excitedly as he leads him outside and then howls when Shinjirou doesn't immediately start walking. Taking one step at a time, he moves at a pace far too slow for Irvin's liking at first. Just a few days and he needs to get used to this pseudo freedom. It's hard to believe he's still a slave; nothing about that has changed.

The collar's still around his neck, the chain pressed against his bare skin where he's hidden it away. Without a doubt the situation is the same. Yet he passes people, throws sticks for Irvin and buys everything on Jades list without anyone treating him any different than before.

He's more than a little out of kilter when he returns, almost perfectly on time, and stands in the hallway for a few minutes, dazed.

Even if the sound of the front door hadn't been enough to alert Jade, Irvin's happy barking is more than enough to tell him that Shinjirou had returned. Jade continues to work at first, but when five minutes had passed and Shinjirou still hadn't reported back to him, he sighs and gets to his feet.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long to find Shinjirou. He looks curiously distant, staring blankly off into space, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. It's striking enough that Jade pauses and stares for a moment.

"Oh, you're back." He feigns surprise as he walks forward. "Did you get everything?"

Jade's voice snaps him out of it immediately. He throws his head around and stares, wide-eyed. "Yes." Right, he's back now. There's Jade and -- wasn't he supposed to undress upon returning? He strips right where he stands and carefully folds the clothes up before putting them down on the cabinet.

"The change." He drops the money into Jade's hand, frowning at his own mechanical movements. At least his back feels better now that there's no fabric to rub over the irritated skin. Irvin's fur's soft when the dog pushes his face against his legs, barking up at him. Smiling down at him, Shinjirou picks up the bags to carry them off to the kitchen. There's stuff that needs to be put into the fridge.

There's no sensuality at all in Shinjirou's movements, but Jade finds them fascinating all the same, the swift, almost hurried way he transforms himself from a student back into a slave. When Jade takes the change, his eyes are still focused on Shinjirou's face.

"Go do your regular chores after you're finished with this." He follows Shinjirou into the kitchen, inspecting his purchases. "Did you enjoy yourself today?"

Being watched like this is uncomfortable and not at all like the people outside mostly ignoring him entirely. He tries his best to mostly turn his back towards Jade, nevermind that he'd consider it too dangerous to do so ultimately. There's enough to do, thanks to Jade's everyday list of tasks.

"Uhm, I think I did."

The answer is what he had expected, and he nods, satisfied. "Would you like to go out again tomorrow? We need to get you some things."

Irvin is nosing curiously at his legs. Jade shifts away slightly and the dog stops, turning around to go bother Shinjirou instead.

Crouching down, he feeds Irvin a few snacks without once so much as glancing at Jade. Get you some things could mean clothes which would be nice, though he doesn't expect he'll get to decide what kind of clothes exactly. On the other hand, things could pretty much mean anything else as well.

"Yes. Same time?" Being seen with Jade would be even worse than Aki catching him in clothes that aren't his, with a dog, doing grocery shopping with money that also can't be his.

Shinjirou's body language is unacceptably closed off, but no hint of displeasure shows on Jade's face. It simply means he'll have to continue applying pressure to Shinjirou. This is a work in progress, and he finds he's enjoying himself more than he thought he would, twinges of guilty conscience aside.

"Same time," he confirms, just a hint of carefully-manufactured coolness in his voice. "I'll leave you to your work."

He doesn't emerge from his study again until Shinjirou is almost done. Casually, he settles down on the couch and turns on the news, Irvin settling on the floor next to his feet.

"Join me when you're done," he calls. "And bring some tea." No alcohol this time; he wants Shinjirou sober from now on, unless there's no other way to manipulate him.

"Yes."

The longer he deals with the daily repetition, the more he comes to appreciate it. He doesn't like every part of the work Jade expects him to do, like cleaning the bathroom, but even that doesn't matter. It's a relaxing pattern and almost refreshing, despite breaking out in a sweat. He definitely feels better when he's done.

"Didn't forget the milk this time."

More at ease than before, he pours them both a cup of tea and then plops down beside Irvin, more interested in stroking the dog than having tea with Jade. He can touch Irvin whenever he wants to. He can't do that with Jade. He doesn't want to -- Jade probably already thinks of him as clingy and that's not how Shinjirou wants to be seen. It's embarrassing.

One slow sip later, he's nodding his approval. "Thank you."

He's content to sit quietly for awhile, more interested in watching Shinjirou than the news - he had already read all of it back in his study anyway. The reporter's voice is a pleasant hum in the background as his attention hones in on the dog, wondering if what its owner had told him is true. It seems innocent enough, its tail wagging slowly from side to side along to the rhythm of Shinjirou's pets.

"Have you had a dog before, Shinjirou?" He wonders aloud.

"Huh?" One hand still on the dog's back, he tilts his head to look at Jade. "No, never had enough money for that, but at the--"

His mouth stays open for a moment before he snaps it shut and turns his attention fully back onto Irvin. Jade doesn't need to know anything about his past. It's bad enough that he already does know so much, about Shinjirou's body and mind. No need to spoonfeed him more information.

"Everyone's got a favorite animal."

The what? Orphanage? An animal shelter? Some place on the streets? Jade is curious, but he's not given to prying when faced with such clear reluctance. Everyone deserves the chance to keep their secrets - although perhaps that doesn't apply to Shinjirou. But it isn't a line Jade wants to cross yet, so he lets it slide.

"Why dogs?" He asks instead. Irvin is nuzzling at Shinjirou's thighs, his nose cold and wet. "A kindred spirit, perhaps?"

"I'm not a dog." Glaring at Jade, he takes a sip of tea, combing through Irvin's fur with his free hand. "They're loyal and really smart. They know when you're happy or sad."

He shrugs and pulls Irvin's head up to get him away from the bruises. Maybe he should have brought some snacks or a toy. "What about you? Snakes, spiders?"

He doesn't hesitate. "Honeybees, actually. They have quite a fascinating sex-determination system and unique behaviours." He pauses. "And I suppose they're important in an agricultural sense as well."

Irvin whines low in his throat, trying to shake off Shinjirou's grip and go back to nosing around his legs. Jade tries not to watch too closely, especially now that Shinjirou's glaring at him, but he can't resist glancing at them out of the corner of his eye.

If he weren't naked and bruised, Shinjirou wouldn't care all that much. Like this, it's a bit bothersome to have the dog poke him endlessly. No, it's definitely annoying. "Irvin, no." The shove he gives him is light, but firm.

"Unique, like that dancing they do?" His expression softens. "Ah, and isn't there one type that can kill hornets? Think there was a documentary about that. I guess they're pretty cool."

Irvin lets out another whine, but subsides for the moment, grumpily flopping down to lie next to Shinjirou. "Be nice," Jade chastises. His eyes are still on the television, and he doesn't bother to specify who he's speaking to.

"Anyway," he continues, "I didn't expect you to enjoy watching documentaries." It could be an insult, but he's careful to make it sound more like an observation.

Shinjirou is convinced that Jade's comment was meant for Irvin and scratches the dog behind his ears to make up for Jade's strictness. Head falling back against the sofa, he pouts up at Jade.

"Some are interesting ... and it's easy to fall asleep because the voice is all dull. Can't do that with an action movie. But that doesn't matter now. I can't just sneak into the living room at night and watch something about honeybees. Right?"

"They're supposed to be educational, you know." Not that he blames Shinjirou; they did have a knack for picking monotonous voices, the few times he's tried watching documentaries. "Besides, you don't seem to have any trouble falling asleep without external assistance."

The scratching was taken as encouragement. Irvin turns his head, trying to lick at Shinjirou's fingers. All his sulking apparently forgotten, he moves closer, pressing the whole length of his thick-furred body against Shinjirou.

"Yeah, I know they're supposed to teach you stuff. Tch." He's this close to sticking out his tongue at Jade and keeps himself from doing so by turning towards Irvin, welcoming the sudden cuddle attack. The dog is warm and happy and doesn't make fun of him.

Shinjirou buries his face in the soft fur, smiling. "What's up, Irvin? Miss your master?"

Jade is constant to fall silent again, pretending to focus on the news. The reporter's voice may as well be white noise, a meaningless drone in his ears, interrupted every so often by a few coherent words then fading into the background again. Would this work? Is it too soon?

The dog seems content to bask in the attention, nudging happily against Shinjirou. Then, abruptly, his head dips down and his long tongue darts out, licking a long stripe across the top of Shinjirou's thighs.

For a while Shinjirou is as happy with the attention Irvin's giving him as much as the other way around. That doesn't stop immediately when Irvin is starting to get naughty again, but he does jump in surprise. He wipes at his skin, trying to rub the odd sensation away. "Come on, that tickles. I'm not food."

"Maybe he needs to be taken for another walk," he murmurs, his attempts to distract Irvin failing. "Jade?"

"At this time of the day?" He glances purposefully at the clock. It's right when the city is busiest, with people heading home from work...or heading out to dinner. Shinjirou is trapped, and Jade knows it. "Well, if you insist, I won't stop you."

Meanwhile, Irvin lays down again, his head thumping down to rest squarely on Shinjirou's lap.

"What? No, not me. I thought maybe you could-- Irvin." All the wriggling in the world doesn't help. Irvin's heavy and whines like a hurt, abandoned puppy whenever he tries to get him off. The fur is both scratchy and tickles ... and not in areas where it's cute.

"Your master really needs to train you better, you know that, Irvin?" Groaning in exasperation, cheeks burning, he tries to take being used as a cushion with at least a bit of dignity. Maybe ignoring Irvin will be a better strategy.