Renji sighed deeply as he ducked every single suspicious look that was shot in their direction. They reached his place without being seen by a taicho, other than Unohana-taicho that healed the Ryoka. 'Alright...' he thought as he entered his room with another reluctant sigh, placing the orange haired boy on his bed. 'Now...how am I gonna hide him from Byakuya-taicho?'
Brown eyes slowly opened as the pale form groaned, lifting himself up slowly, turning his head to see Renji stand in the doorway, slipping his shihakuso top off with the under layer as well, tossing it to the side onto a simple couch. Cream colored, simple, and heavy. Blinking, Ichigo's eyes traced the patterns on the man's back, watching his muscles flex as he stretched. Eyes widening once he realized who he was looking at, jumping off the bed, but tripping once his foot tapped the ground, falling onto the ground with a loud thud.
"Huh?" The red haired Zabimaru possessor quirked a brow once he turned, seeing the smaller form nurse his head as he clamped his eyes shut, hunched over, cursing angrily. Shrugging his broad shoulders, he walked over, bending down to the young Kurosaki's level. "You all right, kid?"
"Stop calling me 'kid', it's Ichigo!" he snarled, opening his left eye slightly. "Anyway...where am I?"
"My place."
Silence fell over the High Schooler, scooting back a bit, wide eyes.
"What?!"
"Are you deaf?"
Ichigo shook his head, then stood, grabbing onto the bedpost for support, narrowing his eyes at the fukutaicho, growling as he shook his head, letting it die after a while. "No," he sighed, "but what I don't get is why you helped me. Why'd you help me anyway? It's not like I asked you too. And why'd you bring me here? Why didn't you send me home? Or at least take me there?"
"The answer to the first, simple," Renji frowned, getting up and crossing his arms, "you were dying, and it wasn't your time, got it? Secondly, I had too...otherwise Byakuya-taicho would kill you. Third...do you really wanna explain how you got bloody and not even wounded?"
"No...but..."
"Good, then you can stay here for today until I get back from doing paperwork."
He turned and started to walk off, yet stopped once he felt a pale hand grab onto his shoulder, looking at him with a lost look.
"What? Lil' Ichi want me to stay to keep him company?" he smirked, seeing his temporary roommate frown and a small blush form on his face, which made him quirk a brow. He looked to the side, blowing air out the side of his mouth. "I was kiddin' now what is it?"
"...I can't stay in once place too long, I'll go insane." he simply replied, making a chuckle surpass Renji's pale lips. "Take me with you, or show me a safe place to walk around in, I don't care. I need to be outside."
"Well," He scratched the back of his neck tenderly, cocking his head against the scratched site, "I could try to put you in disguise and say you're visiting me..."
Ichigo released Renji's shoulder, crossing his arms. 'I can't believe I debased myself to asking him to let me walk around...I hate this guy...' Renji walked off into the bathroom, Ichigo listening to clatters and clanks of glass and other things. 'He took Rukia away...so why do I feel...' The redhead reentered with a jar of paint and something that looked like hair pieces, plopping himself onto a couch, motioning the slender uniform wearing teen over. '...so safe around him? Not...worried?'
Walking over, he sat down, watching the taller male intensively as he set the hair piece container down, popping open the facial paint, lifting the brush from tucked behind his right ear, dipping it into the paint, sighing as he studied the youth's face intensively. 'Hmm...well, the design's starting to form...'
"All right, lean close,"
"What?!"
"So I can get a better reach, stupid." he scowled, Ichigo slowly scooting closer, watching as Renji moved the brush closer to his face, the paint cool against his skin as he looked away with a scowl. Chuckling, Renji began the design on Ichigo's face, steadily working his way around, scowling if he screwed up, and licking his thumb to wipe it away, since he didn't want to ruin it with a cloth. Feeling the saliva covered thumb hit his skin, Ichigo shuddered, but bit his lower lip. "Hn...almost done, last part...your back."
"What?! Why?!"
"I like my work being complete, and this paint won't smear once it dries, I can take it off at the end of the day, that's it. Tomorrow...if you're well enough, you're going home."
Ichigo hesitantly turned around, unbuttoning his shirt, letting it slip off his shoulders gracefully as he clenched his fists on his pants once Renji placed the black paint-covered brush against his back, working out a design, trying to remember most of what he did to the boy's face.
