roneal | (no subject)

Fully ignoring Jade, avoiding eye contact with both him and Irvin, Shinjirou starts cleaning up his own mess while Jade's still there. He's on his knees again, scrubbing away at the stains. It hasn't fully dried yet which makes it easier, but that also means he'll be done fast. Slowing down, he tries to fill his mind with other, less personal and more business-like thoughts.

What dishes he could make for them, all the tasks he'll need to get to tomorrow morning before they leave; how he should behave with Jade right beside him, outside of this comfortable jail. These thoughts keep him busy while he's cleaning and even a little while after he's done. Even better, they keep him awake. He really doesn't want to fall asleep before washing himself thoroughly and reaching the safety of his futon.

As much as he had been looking forward to the shower, Jade can't turn off his his mind for long enough to enjoy it properly. Neither does he want to; he's dangerous when he's not thinking.

It's only a few minutes before he steps out again, in his pyjamas and towelling his hair dry.

"Your turn," he announces, matter-of-fact. "I need to get back to work. The rest of the night is yours, but don't forget we're going out tomorrow."

Although it seems likely that Shinjirou plans on sleeping things off.

Unlike Jade, Shinjirou spends half an eternity under the hot water. And half of that is spent sitting on the floor, letting steam rise all around him. Eventually he gets up again, though, to wash his hair and clean every inch of skin, even the patches that hurt when he only lightly brushes his fingertips across them.

None of that makes him feel less dirty than before. Looking at himself in the mirror, all the signs are still there. Marks of a whip, claws -- the bruises, some of them beginning to fade. He hesitates for a brief moment, then opens the cupboard and puts salve on his wounds. Nurturing them is pointless when there'll be new ones added each and every day.

After that, he does feel better. He can't quite explain why, but he curls up beneath the blanket a short while later, falling into a deep sleep without a problem.

He lets Shinjirou sleep in again - this is fast becoming a habit, one he should break - but not for too long. Shinjirou had asked to leave in the morning, after all. When Jade shakes him awake, he already has clothes laid out for him, almost identical to the ones from yesterday.

Irvin greets them happily as they exit the bedroom, rubbing against Shinjirou's legs, only to whine in disappointment when Jade shoos him off and shuts the garage door behind him.

Jade doesn't start discussing the day's itinerary until they're in the car and on their way.

"We'll get you new clothes first, and proper shoes. We can have lunch afterwards. Then I suppose we can head home, unless there's anything you want to buy?"

It's a relief that Irvin isn't coming with them, but that still doesn't lighten his mood all that much. Tugging on the sleeves of the shirt Jade's picked for him, he keeps shuffling around on his seat. The fidgeting only gets worse the closer they get to their destination.

"Uh. No. I mean -- I don't have any money, so that's kind of a stupid question." Sinking into the seat, he lets his head hit the back rest. "I wouldn't wanna buy anything even if I did."

He pulls his shoulders up, toying with collar of his jacket. The chain's cold where it lies pressed against his skin, but that's definitely better than having it out in the open. "So what are you going to tell people that side-eye a guy your age going shopping with someone that should be at school?"

He shrugs slightly even as he drives. "You don't look too young. More college-aged than highschool. I doubt many people would ask." Of course, his age is still a problem. It's best to be prepared for questions. "I suppose you can just say I'm a family friend, taking you out while your parents are too busy."

Though honestly speaking, Jade doesn't much care. To the rest of the world, they should look like consenting adults; it's none of anyone's business. It doesn't matter that the reality is different, casual observers shouldn't be able to tell the difference. Unless...

He shoots a sidelong glance at Shinjirou. "Of course, if you keep fidgeting like that, they'll probably be suspicious."

"Ugh. Yeah." That's a good point. He's obviously nervous and that tends to get the attention of people. Pushing his hands under his arms and crossing his legs, he tries to hold himself still like that. Of course he'll have to come up with something better soon because walking isn't really going to work like this.

Staring out of the window, he attempts to talk himself into believing it, too: Jade's just a family friend. Unfortunately, the family part is where his belief crashes and burns. He doesn't have any parents, never had any and the only person he'd consider family is Aki. Thinking of Aki just makes him shuffle again.

"Your stuff's uncomfortable, that's all." It's not even an outright lie. This isn't what he normally wears; the only quality item of clothing was his coat and the only reason for owning that was to keep him warm out on the streets. "We're not going to get more like this, right? Looks stupid on me."

"Actually, that's what I'm planning to get for you." Shinjirou looks far more presentable like this. The rough, homeless look had its appeal, but his associates tend to prefer something less tough - unless they were looking for something to break. Jade has no intention of letting that happen to his property.

"Though I don't see why it matters. You don't spend much time clothed." Perhaps he could get some casual clothes for Shinjirou's grocery runs, but for now, Jade doesn't see the need. He may have money, but there's no reason to spend it all at once.

Cheeks gaining a slight red tint, he glares at Jade. So what if he's naked most of the time? Only makes it more annoying to look like he's wearing a uniform when he does get to leave the house once in a while. His glare doesn't last long and he starts staring at his own feet, knowing he must make the impression of a pouting child ... which really isn't that far off.

"Makes me feel awkward." He stretches out, trying to relax a bit. "And don't you dare give me a haircut."

"Why not?" He doesn't have any plans to, aside from giving it a little trim; he enjoys being able to tug and pull at Shinjirou's hair too much to cut it short. "You already feel awkward. We may as well finish giving you a complete makeover today."

"No we may not." Pressing himself into the door, leaning away from Jade, his pout only grows. Whatever Jade requests, in the end he can still tell that it's him in the mirror and he'd rather keep it that way. That hurts more often than not, but then that's nothing new. He's despised himself for years now. When he does his job well, it's different -- he likes that.

"I'm going to bite the hairdresser."

Jade checks the side mirror, taking the opportunity to flick a glance at Shinjirou. His smile only grows when he catches sight of the deepening pout.

"I could order you to be good." He's still smiling.

"Yeah, and I could listen. Or not." He turns his head just far enough to glare at Jade. There's a second where he considers sticking his tongue out at Jade, though he doesn't in the end.

Sitting up straight again, he tries to mentally prepare himself for getting out of the car. He's talking nonsense, he knows, and it's a pretty pathetic rebellion, too, but it's hard to stop now. "You can't just tug at the chain or whatever if I don't do as you say."

Sometimes, it's better not to argue, especially when they both know how futile Shinjirou's protests are. Jade finds that he's happy to hear them. His spirit hasn't been entirely broken; that's good.

"Now that we're out in public, no I can't," he agrees placidly. "I suppose I'll just have to hold your hand instead."

Hold his hand like you'd with an upset toddler? His face flares up bright red merely picturing it; his rebuttal is much quieter and less forceful than before. "No."

He spends the rest of the time cringing. It's easier to deal with bruises and cuts, in Shinjirou's opinion. Just sweetly holding hands in public ... his palms are sweaty and uncomfortably hot thanks to just the threat of it. Wiping it off on his pants, he silently prays this will be over soon.

For once, Shinjirou's prayers aren't thrown back into his face - yet. The car slows as Jade pulls into the parking lot of a mall and parks in short order. He climbs out first, then opens Shinjirou's door for him, smirking as he offers him a hand.

"Let's get started."

Rolling his eyes, he pushes past Jade. His arms go back to being crossed over his chest and anyone that might be insane enough to look his way gets a death stare that makes them speed up towards their car. Well, at least some things never change.

"Yeah, let's." Actually, he doesn't wait for Jade to lead the way; however, he's nice enough to wait at the entrance.

He follows at a leisurely pace, smiling briefly as he walks past Shinjirou. Then he stops, blocking the entrance. The mall is quiet at this time of the day, but there are still enough people around that he gets a dirty look or two as they squeeze past him. Jade doesn't seem to notice.

"I'd like you to behave more appropriately once we're in the mall," he says. "It would be a shame if we attracted too much attention."

"Y-yeah, sure. Whatever." It's not like he wants people to stare at them. So perhaps it's best after all if he just quietly does whatever Jade wants and, if need be, let his frustration out later. The entire situation is awful enough already -- looking at Jade reminds him of what has happened over the past few days and then there's other people glancing at him and all he wants to do is hide somewhere. Which he can't.

Nodding, Shinjirou drops the aggressive stance and follows Jade inside without another word.

It's fascinating how quickly Shinjirou deflates. Jade watches him for a second longer before he turns away and starts walking again.

The mall is a big one, not exactly high-class, but there are quite a few brand name stores around nontheless. Jade steers clear of the more expensive ones.

"Would you prefer getting shoes first? Or clothes?"

"Uhm, shoes, I guess?" Shrugging, he stays just about close enough that it's obvious he won't suddenly bail out, and far enough away that it'd be difficult to grab his hand. "If that's alright."

In a way getting shoes first means getting the possibly easiest part out of the way. He can't see Jade letting him wear anything too casual anywhere on his body, but with shoes that's not so bad. Start with something that isn't so bad, get used to whatever Jade's going to throw at him.

Somehow survive this trip without starting a fight.

"It's your choice." It's almost a pity that he doesn't have to train Shinjirou into being a proper companion; that would have produced amusing results. And, compared to everything else, it would be all but harmless.

Jade walks past a few stores before he finds one he likes. A salesperson greets them as they enter, but Jade waves them off.

"Pick something appropriate." He's curious to see what Shinjirou thinks will satisfy him. "If you like it, that will be an added bonus."

Choices are bad. They've always been, seeing as he tends to make the wrong ones. In this case, Jade ridiculing him is probably the worst result any choice will get him. Annoying, but he'll be able to stomach it.

Shinjirou doesn't stray too far from Jade, checking if he's being followed from time to time. There's a pair of brown leather boots that aren't too different from the ones he used to own. A simple design, nothing flashy nor too elegant. He lifts them up, tilting his head.

"Something like that okay?"

He reaches out to take them, testing the sturdiness of the leather. "They're fine." Though they did look rather familiar, now that he thought about it. Had Shinjirou been wearing them when they first met? Jade wouldn't be terribly surprised. Something familiar must seem like a comfort to Shinjirou right now, and people had a habit of picking the same things over and over again anyway.

"Would you like try them on?" He's already leading the way over to a seat, looking at him expectantly.

"Uh. Sure." He plops down, slipping out of Jade's shoes and reaching for the boots. They fit and after taking a few steps with them on his feet, he'd say they're comfortable, too. He comes to a halt in front of Jade, looking down at the boots, then up at Jade.

"Yeah, they're ... good, I think." They pretty much only need Jade's approval. Shinjirou doesn't expect picking clothes will be this easy, but for now he's thankful that Jade's taste isn't too different from his own when it comes to footgear.