Title: Jellyfish Love [Chapter Seven: Shaken] Author: Matrim Email: matrim _ n o _ aijin @ yahoo . com (hotmail isn't working so use that one) Warnings: Heterosexuality, Shinya wearing purple, Dada o.o, Mana o.o!, and crazy ass women (as opposed to the 1% of women who are all on this list who can think rationally). Comments: I think I've just crossed all the lines of music. Jpop, Visual Kei, Angura Kei. Quite frightening! One of these days I'll try to write them all down in a list. I tried to beta it. No guarantees. XD; ++ ++ BoA watches Shinya as he gets ready for work from her place in the bed. Shinya's skinny—skinny in the way that makes people worry but he's always been like that. It runs in his family and he eats a lot. He's very skinny but in a healthy way. When he was younger, he didn't have an inch of defined muscle on him but he does now. It's just that he needs more fat on him. And she has no idea why she's thinking this, especially when she's angry at him. He's wearing black slacks, a black pin striped shirt and a purple vest over it. A black and purple pin striped tie follows after it and he looks great, but purple isn't his color. Who bought him that? He's not even putting a jacket over it—he's just going to wear it like that! She knows she's taking her anger out Shinya's clothes and it's irrational but she has good reason. "I don't see why we have to hire someone. We were fine on our own." She says after Shinya's tosses his hair around enough to look good. "We've discussed this, BoA." "We've discussed it. But we're not done discussing it." Shinya turns away from the mirror of BoA's on vanity because if there's a mirror in the room, he might as well use it. He doesn't care whether it's girly or not. "You dislike the fact that someone else is going to be in the house. Why?" "It's better with just you and me. I don't like anyone invading our privacy and how can we be sure if this person is trustworthy?" "I hired her myself." "She's a woman." "Of course, she's a woman." "You don't trust me alone with a man?" It's a sneer and she doesn't mean it but she hates when Shinya gets all dominant like this. "You don't trust me in a room with you and another woman?" Shinya replies and BoA frowns. He stands over the bed and for some odd reason, she feels like blushing or at least, scooting away so he doesn't feel dangerous. "That's not what I meant." "It sounds like it." This time, he sits next to her on the bed and he smiles and takes her hands. "I want to take care of you. Let me take care of you." "You're saying that out of pity. I'm sorry I made you marry me." Shinya should've sighed, rolled his eyes and yelled at her to stop saying things like that. He doesn't. He laces his fingers with her own—his skinny long tapered fingers that are strong and delicate looking—and then shakes his head. "I married you because you've grown on me. I didn't marry you out of pity. I've hired Kuroneko to take care of you and the house while I'm gone." Then he goes oddly quiet and while he's playing with her hands, he asks, "Do you really love me?" "Yes." BoA isn't used to that question. She's the one who is supposed to be asking the insecure questions. "You know I do." "Then you should trust me." "I do." "Good." And he picks her up and places her in the wheelchair. She's already dressed which makes it easier for the both of them and she gives him a smile when she's settled in. "Come and meet her." Shinya wheels her out of the bedroom and into the living room where a young girl in a kimono waits patiently. She has long black hair and looks like those dolls that girls are given for Girl's Day. Shinya's won the argument. He always wins arguments. BoA sighs. She doesn't have to like it. Kuroneko stands and gives a bow to the both of them. She's perfect if you like that sort of thing, BoA supposes and gives her a bit of a smile to show that she's being understanding about this. "Kuroneko will be here to do the chores. Laundry and cleaning and all that. You won't even see her if you don't want to. But if you need anything, she can help you." I don't need her help with anything. I just need you. BoA thinks, crossly, to herself but smiles instead and murmurs something in approval. She tells herself that she's being irrational and that Shinya's just trying to help her. She takes a closer look at Kuroneko while Shinya steps away from her wheelchair to talk to her. They look awfully familiar with each other. Total strangers shouldn't act like that. She's grasping at straws—anything to keep her angry with Shinya—she knows that. So she shakes her head and looks away, hoping for the feelings to pass. Shinya meant well, he always did—even when she thought he was hurting her. ++ "I don't think she likes me much. Pardon me for saying so," Kuroneko tells Shinya when BoA leaves to get some breakfast for herself. The way BoA said it implies that she didn't want anyone following her including her husband but it was also a subtle hint for Shinya to follow her. Either way, Shinya chose to ignore that subtle hint. "She's never liked me." Kuroneko remembers BoA from a long time ago. She was Shinya's next door neighbor—one of his first playmates but they grew apart. When BoA started coming around, Kuroneko recognized her as one of those girls who didn't take nicely to the idea of girls being friends with boys. Shinya and Kuroneko's mothers were still close friends which was why she was here. She was a little uneasy about being hired out of charity but Shinya had assured her that wasn't the case. He said he hired her because he could trust her and because she has the skills necessary to do the job. "She hasn't?" Shinya sounds genuinely puzzled. Kuroneko pities him for not recognizing the intricate patterns of a woman's feelings toward another woman that didn't have anything to do with romance toward each other. "Are you sure?" "For some reason, she doesn't. I think it's because she thinks I'll throw myself at you." "That's very undignified and very unlike you," Shinya says, reassuringly. "Does she remember you? She didn't look it." Kuroneko shakes her head. "We women tend to forget a face that we mildly dislike." "What about loathing?" She smiles. After all these years of not seeing him, Kuroneko had almost forgotten that he could be this way. Whenever he was interested in something, he couldn't stop talking. "We memorize faces we loathe with stunning accuracy. So we may be able to tear them apart and prove to ourselves that they aren't perfect and they are nothing to us." Shinya gives a slight laugh, which is silent, like he is most of the time. "No wonder she hates Dada." "Hm? Who's Dada?" "A man who works for me." "Why would she hate a man?" Shinya shrugs and Kuroneko decides to accept that as an answer. "She's upset with me." "It's easy to tell." Shinya nods and looks as if he wants to say something. "Please try to be understanding with her. Maybe first few days—keep out of sight? I don't want you two fighting. If she needs you, though, be there for her." He's putting his shoes on and is about to head out of the door and Kuroneko follows after him. "What if…what if something happens?" "I don't expect anything bad to happen. I trust you." And Shinya smiles. Kuroneko feels bad and keeps her question of, 'What if something bad happens to me?' behind her lips. Shinya looks so trusting and so hopeful that someone would help take care of the house and Kuroneko sighs. He steps out of the door and into the black car with two other men, who don't look quite as nice as Shinya. There are two of them and they glance up at her. One gives her a calculating look and he would've been handsome if he smiled. The other one smiles at her. He has nice cheekbones and he's shorter. Kuroneko sighs and turns away from the door to retrieve her apron and start on chores. She has a bad feeling about all of this but a job is a job. ++ There should be a rule against people knocking on doors before the makeup was on. Dada frowns at himself in his vanity and decides to ignore it. Whoever's at the door should know better and they don't even know he's really in there. Then again, it was no secret that Dada wasn't awake before nine and never ready before eleven. Quietly, he decides to himself that crawling out of the window and into the backyard in just a corset, underwear and a sheer robe was a bad idea—especially since he had no makeup on. He gives a sigh, discards the sheer robe for a black embroidered Chinese one and after tying the belt, Dada goes to the door. He takes a peek through the peeping hole and steps back in shock. What a…strange…surprise. He takes another look and when he is convinced that he really is staring at Mana (who is knocking again!), he steels himself and unlocks the door. He opens it and since Mana's seen him without makeup, it's okay to stare at him in the eye. Very rude, but very necessary considering it's only 10:30 in the morning. Mana blinks at him and looks slightly away. "What do you want?" "You said to come over for lunch." "It's 10:30." And you never came over for lunch when I've invited you before. Dada wants to add that on to the rest of the sentence but if Mana's trying to reach out to him, the other man must be desperate. "Come in then," He says before Mana can apologize very politely and very coldly and head back home—wherever that may be. He gestures for Mana to sit on a couch in his living room that was decorated in a very dark fetish-y way. It looks better in the evening and Mana looks perfectly in his element wearing a long black skirt and suit jacket. "Let me put something decent on." Dada leaves Mana in the living room and heads back to his room. It's not exactly the cleanest room in the house but Dada doesn't have enough money yet to afford a maid. Well, sometimes, he could bother Aya to do it for him since the boy's technically his apprentice but too much of that and Aya would rebel. And while Dada encourages rebellion, he does not encourage open rebellion against himself. Briefly, as Dada steps over a vinyl glove and a black wing to get to his closet, he wonders if Yura ever comes over to Mana's house. Dada begins to flip through his clothing and settles on wearing a black velvet dress with a black velvet duster with leopard print trim. Dada takes time on his makeup and he's not sure whether he's doing it to look nice or to make Mana wait. He shrugs at himself and when he looks more like the self he likes and is used to seeing in the mirror, he pins his hair up and heads back out into the rest of the house and into the kitchen. He prepares some tea for Mana and sets it down in front of him and goes back into the kitchen to puzzle out what to do about lunch. He's not the type to cook things up but he sort of knows how to make sandwiches. And Aya's left some brownies for him from his mom in the refrigerator so Dada supposes that he could toss it in the microwave and add ice cream to it later for a dessert. Why couldn't Mana call before coming? "I called," Mana says quietly from his place on the couch. Dada blinks and closes the door to turn in the direction of the living room so he could hear Mana more clearly. The other man was staring at his tea cup. "But I got your answering machine. And I called your cell phone but you didn't answer." "Oh." Dada says because he doesn't want to confess that he was asking himself that question or wonder out loud if he's actually said his thoughts out loud. "It's alright." Mana turns to look over his shoulder and gives what could be called a smile. Whatever it is, it makes Dada uncomfortable. "I'll go make sandwiches," He says, quickly—perhaps a little too quickly and beats a safe retreat back to the kitchen. Dada makes ham sandwiches, with lettuce and mustard and mayonnaise then takes them back to the living room. It isn't exactly the greatest meal around, definitely something that Mana outclasses but he figures the man needs something different for once. Dada sits on the couch across from Mana and the only thing separating them is a measly glass coffee table, some sandwiches and tea. Silence. If Dada had a cuckoo clock, he would've been able to count the seconds it takes before either of them talks. "I—" "Mana—" It's one of those things that people read about or see on TV—the idea of people speaking at the same time. And usually people laugh it off nervously and suggest that the other person go on first but neither of them laugh. They just stare at each other as if forgetting that the other one could speak of their own will. It's Dada's home so Dada nods at Mana to make him speak first. "I know this abnormal of me to call on you when you least expect it." Mana tells him and he's speaking in his formal way—when he's uncomfortable. Yura once told him that when Mana's relaxed he can be very funny. Aya's seen it too but apparently, Dada was the type to make Mana uncomfortable and have him act this way. Tense and formal. Dada wonders if Mana's ever studied the historical European culture he's interested in. When manners wasn't just a way of getting what you wanted and having good posture didn't mean being stiff and unrelaxed. Well, he wasn't going to point it out—it'd be rude. "But I," Mana pauses, takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I think we should spend more time together." This is so uncharacteristic of Mana that it makes Dada nearly fall over with shock. He doesn't, though, but he does let himself drop his sandwich back onto the little saucer for the teacup that he's using as a plate. But he has to admit that must've been hard for Mana to actually but he can't imagine why they'd have to spend time with each other. So…he decides to ask. "Why? We already pretend we like each other." "Everyone knows it's fake." Mana frowns. It's only obvious if you watch the rest of Mana's expression and not just his mouth. "You don't like me?" "I…respect you?" Dada can't believe they were actually having this conversation. "Look—you don't exactly lend yourself very well to the concept. When you perform, you strip only to your underwear. You hold yourself off from other people. You claim not to look at other people with desire or love or any other emotion—you claim you're like a doll—" "You'll … like me better if I…strip?" Mana asks, thus displaying the hidden genetic survival trait of a confused man in a conversation to focus on something that does make sense. Sex. "Gods, no! Mana, I want you to…be…human. Just try to act like one for once." Mana blinks. "What is human, Dada?" "Are we having an argument?" Dada asks, thus displaying his own genetic trait of bailing out of heated discussion before it really began. The blue-haired (well, blue-haired today) man ignores him and stands up. His cup is set aside with an angry rattle. Dada stands, too, because he can't stand being looked down upon in any fashion. "Does being human mean being like you? Angry and sarcastic at the world then expecting the world to treat you with respect just because of the way you dress? Harping on about all of us being a family when you can't even be bothered to know the rest of us well—really well? Acting as if you're the most open person on earth but when you're really needed, you're never there?" Dada wants to know where this is all coming from. And how long had Mana bottled all this up? Who knew Mana could talk so much? "What are you talking about?" He asks, clinging to the one shred of logic that he can see because he doesn't think (or doesn't want to admit) that what Mana said was true. However, before Mana can say anything, Dada shakes his head. He has no time to deal with something like this in the morning. "No. Nevermind. Darling, I think that you better leave before we hurt ourselves." And Dada may sound catty, but he thinks that any way to stop an argument that makes no sense is a good way. Mana doesn't reply. He's icy-silent, face stone cold with anger. Dada knows that if given the chance, Mana will sort out the emotions and snatch up the nearest logic available to him, just like Dada does. But Mana wields logic like a weapon and uses it to disarm then destroy his enemy. And he's quick at doing it, too, so Dada knows that he'd better rush the man out of the house before he starts. Dada hurriedly makes his way to the door and holds it open for Mana. The other man puts on his shoes but before he leaves, he turns as if to say something. Dada glares at him, daring the thinner man to say something. But what he gets is completely unexpected. Mana grabs Dada by the collar, pulling him forward and kisses him. It isn't exactly the greatest kiss in the world—kisses that are forced never are—but it is definitely going to be memorable. Not because Dada loves Mana but because this is Mana possessed by a demon. Mana shoves him away—hard enough to make him stumble against the wall. Why was Mana strong? He was too skinny to be strong. "Human enough for you?" Mana asks. It would sound better if Mana yelled it but he doesn't. He speaks low, quiet, and Dada hates it. As Mana walks away, Dada slams the door in response. He knows its lame but he doesn't have any other choice. He hates not having the last word, he hates being kissed by…by…by weird people and Mana just ruined his duster. Furious, Dada stands, grabs the plate of sandwiches on the coffee table and tosses it back in the fridge. Thankfully, he was off tonight—they all were and some weird band was playing. Now all he had to do was get rid of the man's stupid words out of his head and the feel of his lips on his own. Bloody hell. ++ To Chapter Eight Jelly Home Fics Home