It was very early in the morning when Jadeite came home, and with some luck, the house would still be asleep so he could have a quiet moment in th kitchen. While the water for the coffee was about to boil, he got himself a cooling pack from the fridge and held it at his temples. He didn't intend to let the tiny no-sleep headache grow into something dreadful. He leaned his forehead against the wall, allowing himself a few minutes of exhaustion.
Big mistake.
"Overjoyed and ecstatic from love and happiness, are we? Again?"
Jadeite refused to comment on that. He had his back on Kunzite and didn't even bother to turn around.
"Morning, Kunzite."
But that was too lame to get Kunzite off his heels.
"Tell me something, Jadeite. How come I never see a smile on your face when she's done with you?"
Jadeite had to let go of the comforting, steadying wall and turn his head around to shoot Kunzite a disapproving glance.
"I'm not unhapy, Kunzite, I'm just tired."
"How long do you want to keep telling yourself things like that, find excuses, close your eyes to the truth? She only uses you, Jadeite, she will discard you if she finds something better to distract her. And somewhere deep down inside, you know it."
Jadeite's patience showed the first cracks of anger. "We love each other, Kunzite. We just are mature enough to realize each of us has a demanding life."
"How heart-warming. You know, that's exactly what creeps me out about you and her. Always being sensible when it comes to excuses for not seeing each other. Jadeite, if you were her big love, her number one priority, she would never accept coming in second after your "demanding life". She would long have been here, yelling at me for some relieve of your work load, and prying you out of the claws of your own sense of duty. If you were important for her, she would fight for you."
"'Kunzite... you don't understand..."
"Possibly. But it's also possible I understand just too well, and you don't." Jadeite just kept turning his back on Kunzite. He knew the smirk was there, and he didn't want to see it.
It didn't help, as the smirk was in Kunzite's voice as well.
"If you are so certain about her, how about a little test. Let's raise the stakes and see if she's still interested if you stop to be such a convenience.
You know, I have this huge number of assignments that got piled up over the last years when an emergency came round and we had to drop everything else. Someone finally needs to take care of the small stuff so we don't one day get buried in it. Call it a clean out in honor of the Master's birthday. You didn't forget you'll need to clean out the ground floor as well, did you?"
"Kunzite..." sighed Jadeite. He knew something like this would happen, Nephrite had warned him that Kunzite didn't like the whole dating idea. Well, Jadeite had figured that out by himself, he just didn't know what to do about it.
"Yes, Jadeite? You wanted to comment on that?"
Jadeite narrowed his eyes and made a face.
"No. But I can already tell you it won't work. I enrolled Mars on the birthday party committee, we'll do things together. She'll see me no matter what else I need to do."
"What a great idea, Jadeite, another pair of hands will come in so handy! And she can read kanji, right? There is that annoying stack of paper that builds up next to the fax printer machine thing in my office that someone needs to go through. I would hate the thought that we threw out anything important when we get rid of it."
Jadeite's eyes opened wide. Paper work?
What happened to the good old times when he'd just spank me and everything would be well again? he wondered.
"Damn it, Kunzite, I'm not going to bother Mars with your paperwork, and the help I need to hire for that will come out of the party budget for sure, and I don't care if we end up eating nothing but noodles!"
"You're the party planner, Jadeite, I leave that decision up to you of course. Oh, and there seems to be a case of time-jumping fleas among my youmas, would you please have a look at that, and while you're at it, don't forget to cut and sharpen their claws, we want them to be in best form at the birthday."
This made Jadeite madder than paperwork, and he angrily turned around. "Don't tell me you are only telling me now about any youma hygiene issues when there's already problems. We have responsibilities towards our youmas, we need to pay attention! And I don't have time to give them manicures!
Do you have any intention to let me get an hour of sleep until the Master's birthday at all?" he hissed. Actually hissed at Kunzite. Ouch. Nephrite had warned him against that as well. He had suggested yelling, actual yelling, at Kunzite. Jadeite wasn't desperate or insane enough to do that yet, he tried the piercing stare instead.
Kunzite chuckled. "Of course you won't work all the time. You bet I find other things to do for you as well. Better things maybe."
Jadeite sneered and turned away from Kunzite. The next mistake.
Kunzite stepped close to Jadeite and brushed the young man's neck with his lips. Jadeite tensed, and made an unwilling sound, but he couldn't help liking those sweet touches. Kunzite was angry with him, and still so gentle, it never failed to impress and disarm Jadeite.
"Listen to me, Jadeite," said Kunzite very seriously.
"Don't forget who you are. You're one of the Shitennou, Jadeite, you are revered and desired. You're our heart and soul. You hold powers of Earth herself, you are the guy who went running into a demon of bottomless evil with a sword to keep this world safe. You never flinched in the face of danger, you're a Guardian to the bone, you deserve some damn respect. Don't forget that. Don't sell yourself under worth. It angers me if someone thinks you are only second best, or worse."
He blew some breath into Jadeite's hair to reveal more skin, enough to make room for more kisses. He didn't need to look to know Jadeite had closed his eyes. He just had to feel the slim neck give in to his touches.
"Don't forget who you are, Jadeite," he repeated between kisses that tried to drink in the golden light that reflected from Jadeite's skin. "Don't let yourself be fooled. You're the best that will ever happen to her. Only accept the best she can give."
Kunzite's gloved hands combed Jadeite's night-ruffled hair to the side so he got access to the side of Jadeite's neck.
He kissed his way over the whole side of Jadeite's neck and cheek, and it only took him a gentle nudge at Jadeite's chin to make Jadeite turn his head back far enough to let Kunzite kiss his lips. Kunzite's tongue immediately took possession of Jadeite's mouth, while his other hand followed the seams of Jadeite's pants.
He placed in thumb at the lowest point of Jadeite's loins.
"And Jadeite," he said coldly and let his thumb nail run up the whole length of Jadeite's crack while he was speaking, with enough force to make certain the thin fabric of Jadeite's pants wouldn't blunt the impact much, "Unless I say otherwise, never bring her smell here on you again."
An icycle of dread shot through Jadeite at the sound of Kunzite's voice. But he couldn't complain, because Kunzite already kissed him again.
Jadeite moaned uncomfortably, his stomach was still dancing from fear. But he couldn't help the rebellious voice in him that no matter how hard Kunzite kissed him, he wouldn't be able to unsmell the senshi of passion on him all the time, and all the jealousy and taking-care-of-business sex couldn't undo what he and Mars had done together.
But it wouldn't really have been Kunzite if he wouldn't make him pay for it.
With a last groan, Jadeite finally melted into Kunzite's kiss. Kunzite was simply too hot not to, even when mad. Especially when mad... He tasted the rage and desire and the familiar tenderness... and suddenly nothing.
"Huh?" he said shocked when Kunzite let go of him and stepped back to break the contact between them. Jadeite instantly followed him, moving backwards until he bumped into Kunzite. One angry move of his hip hit home on Kunzite's hard centerpiece, but to his dismay, Kunzite just backed out again.
"Don't you even think of it!" sneered Kunzite. "You have just been fucked senseless by the senshi of passion. After having been fucked out of your tiny mind by every one in the house. And you think I am going to compete with that if you still haven't got enough? Think you can have everyone just because you're desperate? Have you lost your mind? Go screw that wonderful girlfriend you have. And if you do, do it right, not in a way that makes you claw at me the very next morning."
"Kunzite!"
There was only one person who could say Kunzite's name with that much disapproval and reproachment.
"Morning, Zoisite."
"Morning, Jadeite. Kunzite, what's all the noise about at this time of the day?"
Kunzite was giving him a look of disgust. Jadeite could smell why. When Zoisite spent the night with the Master, he'd always fall for that modern world decadence, namely the shower, and use great amounts of chemically produced and synthetically scented soap, two things that Kunzite hated from the bottom of his soul for their unmanliness and ecological impact.
Jadeite loved the fascinating world of modern soaps and gels and whatnot, and happily used them when he stayed at a hotel for his duties abroad. But he had to admit that Zoisite himself smelled so good, it was a shame to do anything to it. And of course, Zoisite had done it on purpose.
Jadeite groaned. Each time Zoisite had some fun, he would spent some guilt time with the Master. But doing it like this, and coming in, smelling like this, and coming straight for where Kunzite was to make sure Kunzite noticed how early he was home and in what state...
And now they were already glaring at each other again.
Oh no.
Jadeite could only hope that Zoisite was seeking for new heights of punishment and would crown this with the most spectacular make up sex with Kunzite, or they would both be unbearable, and that, on top of all the stress, would just be too much.
A jolt of pain flashed through his skull.
Jadeite groaned. This one felt like it was here to stay.
By his voice, a bit of reality made it through to Zoisite.
"What's with your head, Jadeite?" he asked, ignored Kunzite and pulled Jadeite towards him.
Jadeite grumbled some protest, but there really was no point argueing with Zoi when he had that frown on.
"Show me that, Jadeite," he said, and put a hand on Jadeite's forehead. He gently stroked some strands of hair to the side.
"Oh, that doesn't look good. Flashbacks?"
"Yeah. Flashbacks and nightmares."
"Let me look after this."
Jadeite closed his eyes and gave himself into Zoisite's hands, literally. Zoisite's hands could bring terrible painful flashbacks and pains, but they could also take them away. Already his headache felt better as Zoisite carefully rubbed the points where he could sense distortions.
"He'll never learn to be careful if you spoil him every time he gets himself into trouble," was Kunzite's acid remark.
"Kunzite! He didn't get them on purpose! And now please keep your voice down, or this is going to take me hours."
Kunzite sneered, but he left the kitchen, just turning round in the door one last time:
"Our agreement still holds, Jadeite. You're not excused from any duties just because you have been up all night pleasuring your girlfriend."
"Kunzite!"