Chapter 5: Babysitting

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After school we all went to this twenty-four hour café that everyone liked to hang out at. It was called the "Silver Fox" and it was owned by Rangiku's boyfriend, Gin. It served all types of teas, coffees, and desserts. It had big, comfy couches to sit in and also lots of tables, so it was almost set up like a lounge… And apparently, it was a cool place to chill out in, do homework, chat, and just kill time… When we got there, the first thing Rangiku did was introduce her boyfriend to me. I was surprised by how young he was, but I shrugged it off. I was intrigued by his silvery hair and the strange way that he was always smiling… and I thought it was cool how he sat down with us and made a point to make Rangiku's friends his friends, too. He and Rangiku made such a cute couple…

We spent several hours in the café, and I actually managed to get all of my homework finished… and even help Keigo with his. And now I was sitting in between Renji and Shuuhei, drinking some tea and listening to everyone's various conversations. Renji was doodling in a sketchbook, and I glanced over to see what he was drawing.

"Wow…" I heard myself whispering. It was a really good drawing of a tea cup with steam rising out of it. It was sitting on the table with light streaming in from the window. And there was a discarded tea bag beside it… and he was just absentmindedly sketching it out. "That's amazing, Renji."

He gave me a sideways smile. "Think so?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah… It's crazy how you can draw so well… and so easily!"

He chuckled under his breath. "This is just what I do when I'm bored." He gave me a playful wink. "You should see how it looks when I'm actually trying."

I looked at him with awe. "I'd love to."

He grinned. "Sure thing. Maybe I'll draw you sometime."

I blushed when he mentioned drawing me.

He only grinned wider. "I'd love to capture how your face looks when you're blushing like that."

And then I blushed harder. "I think you'd have more luck drawing something else…" I mumbled.

He leaned in closer to me, a smirk on his face. "Are you saying that I wouldn't be able to capture your beauty?"

Wait, what?! "Uh-n-no. I-I'm just saying th-that you could find something b-better to draw…" I looked down at my fingers as I fiddled with them in my lap.

"Don't be silly." He muttered. "I want to draw you…" His breath fanned across my ear. "After all, you're so damn cute."

My breath caught in my throat and I was at a loss for words. I shakily nodded my head, biting on my lip nervously.

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Rukia and I had walked home after leaving the café. And now I was in my room, trying to ignore the prying texts from her and Rangiku. When the phone rang instead of beeped, I nearly threw it across the room, until I noticed that it was Renji calling. I tried not to bite my lip as I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

I smiled. "Hey."

"So when are you going to let me draw you?"

My stomach was fluttering again. "I don't know…"

"How about tomorrow? We can go to the park after school."

Now I was chewing on my lip. And I was certain that I was blushing. "Sure… okay."

"Great."

"Renji!" Ururu's voice sounded in the background. "Jinta's pulling my hair again!"

"Jinta, knock it the hell off!" Renji shouted.

I laughed.

"Sorry about that." Renji mumbled. "Kisuke and Tessai are gone out of town for some business meeting thing, so I'm stuck babysitting…"

"Aw, how sweet of you!" I gushed, unable to help myself.

"It's not like I wanted to do it…" Renji grumbled.

I giggled at how upset he sounded. "Well it's still sweet of you to take care of your little brother and sister."

"Yeah, I guess." There was more screaming in the background, and he sighed. "I better go before they kill each other. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Renji."

"Later."

I hung up the phone, feeling significantly happier than before.

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I had managed to pacify Rangiku and Rukia by telling them that Renji and I were going to be hanging out after school. So, as I sat at my desk, they gossiped about other things instead. That was, until Renji walked in. He sat next to me, as usual, and looked at me with a disappointed expression.

"Hey, Juna…" He mumbled hesitantly.

I tilted my head as I looked at him, confused by his strange behavior. "Yes, Renji?"

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "So, Kisuke and Tessai aren't gonna be back until tomorrow… so I've gotta babysit again tonight… which means that we won't be able to go to the park." He sounded completely defeated.

I was about to say something, but I was interrupted.

"So then why don't you just invite Juna to babysit with you?" Rukia suggested happily.

"Yes, that's a great idea!" Rangiku agreed.

I sighed. Would these two ever stop butting in?

Renji looked taken aback, but he quickly regained some composure. "Uh, yeah… sure… I mean, I guess… if Juna wanted to come over, she could… I mean… Juna, would you wanna help me babysit? You totally don't have to. I'll understand if you say no. Since my siblings are brats, and all…" He mumbled most of what he said.

I laughed at how cute he looked. "Sure, Renji. I'd love to help you babysit."

His face lit up when he heard my answer. "Awesome!"

Rukia and Rangiku grinned widely, happily approving of the outcome of their meddling.

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I walked home with Renji after school. Jinta and Ururu arrived around the same time that we did. Jinta was surprisingly happy to see me, even if he did tease Renji and me. I noticed that Jinta and Ururu fought a lot, so to distract them, I decided to play a board game with them… and I made Renji play, too… but he wasn't really complaining.

"I'm sitting next to Juna!" Jinta shouted, pushing Ururu aside so that he could scoot up next to me.

Part of me wanted to laugh because he was so cute, but another part of me wanted to scold him for being so rude to his sister. I settled for sighing… it wasn't my job to tell him what to do, after all.

"Jinta, quit being such an ass!" Renji yelled, throwing a pillow at his little brother's face.

Well, I guessed that was one way to handle it…

Renji settled on my other side, and Ururu sat across from me… we would have been in a circle, if Renji and Jinta wouldn't have been crowding me.

I sighed again, placing my hands on their shoulders and nudging them away. "Come on, boys… we need to be in a circle."

Reluctantly, they both obeyed. But throughout the game, they both subtly inched back toward me. I shook my head, but went ahead and ignored their weirdness. I was trying to let the kids win, but Renji blew them out of the water, shouting in their face the whole time. Usually, I would have been appalled by his behavior… but it suited him. And it made me laugh. When the game was over, Jinta mentioned that he was hungry.

"Alright, I'll make ya something…" Renji grumbled, standing to his feet.

"Aw, man!" Jinta whined. "I don't wanna eat your nasty, poisonous food again!"

Renji glared down at him. "You either eat my food or starve!"

Jinta stood on the table so that he could match his glare. "I'll just starve then!"

I sighed. "Settle down, boys."

They both turned their attention to me immediately.

"I'll just cook something for you, okay?" I suggested, hoping that they would stop fighting.

Jinta jumped excitedly off the table. "Alright! Juna's gonna cook for us! And I bet it will be awesome!"

I smiled at him before walking into the kitchen.

Renji followed after me. "You really don't have to do this…"

"It's no problem." I shrugged. "I mean, my cooking is nothing compared to my uncle's… but I can make a decent meal." I smiled up at him.

"Yeah, but I don't want you going through all this trouble for my shitty little brother…"

I laughed. "It's no trouble. And I wanna do it… for all of you."

He blushed when I said that last part. "Fine… do you need any help?"

I had Renji chop some vegetables while I prepared and cooked the meat. I made something simple… grilled chicken, fried rice, and steamed vegetables. I was happy to find a wide assortment of spices and seasonings. I even melted some cheese to put onto the vegetables… something that my uncle sometimes did. I made everyone's plates, and I was surprised and flattered when everyone devoured their food and asked for more.

After dinner, Renji and I did the dishes while the kids did their homework. And then it was time to put them to bed. Jinta begged for me to tuck him in, so I agreed, in spite of Renji's protests. I pulled the blankets up over Jinta and made sure that he was nice and comfy. Then he got this weird, nervous look on his face.

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" He scooted over in the bed, making room for me.

I tilted my head, thinking about it.

"Please?" He whined. "I have nightmares sometimes and it's hard to fall asleep…" He was just so cute…

I sighed. "Fine…"

Then I crawled onto the bed, leaning against the headboard as I sat next to him.

He grinned as he cuddled up next to me, looking so sweet and innocent. He rested his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. I sat there for a few moments, staring at the nightlight. Then I felt him shift, and he wrapped his arm around my waist and rested his head on my chest. I looked down at him, pursing my lips and wondering what to do… had he fallen asleep? And should I move him? If I moved him, then he'd probably wake up… Maybe Renji would come in here soon and help me… I looked back up at the nightlight, still considering my options, when he shifted again. And then his tiny little hand moved up from my waist and grabbed onto my boob.

I screamed bloody murder.

And Renji came running.

Renji stood in the doorway, looking back and forth between me and Jinta. I had jumped from the bed and backed up against the wall across the room. I had my arms wrapped around myself defensively, still disbelieving about what had just happened. But Jinta was sitting up in his bed, staring down at his offending hand and grinning like he had just won the lottery.

"What the hell happened?!" Renji yelled.

I pointed a shaky finger at the little kid sitting across the room from me. "He… He… He grabbed my boob!"

Renji's face changed in a second, going from confusion to outrage. He closed in on his brother, grabbing him by the collar, then proceeded to beat the shit out of him. "You little shit! You pervy little bastard! How dare you cop a feel! Just because she's nice enough to fall for your nasty little tricks! You dirty little-!" He kept going, beating his little brother until he was black and blue.

And even though Jinta was getting the beating of his life, turning black and blue already, he still kept grinning.

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"Look, I really am sorry…" Renji apologized for the millionth time.

I glared at him. "Renji, please…" I shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

He sighed. "But I'm sorry! I just wish that-"

I cut him off. "Renji… it's kind of embarrassing. I mean, I got groped by an elementary student. So can we please just drop the subject?"

His shoulders slumped. "Fine…" He groaned.

Then I gave him a pointed glared. "And promise me that you won't ever mention it again. Or tell anyone about it."

"I promise." He grumbled.

I sighed, satisfied. "Thank you."

About that time, my uncle pulled up in the drive.

Renji walked me to the car, opening the door for me. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

I nodded my head. "Goodnight, Renji."