[ Renji wasn't sure that he could pinpoint a time when Keigo started to mean more to him than just a human that he knew. Keigo was something almost familiar in an alien environment, and that drew him to his company initially. Their worlds hardly ever crossed before, but it was tantalizingly close to home and, though he hardly ever talked about it, he missed home desperately.
Still, Renji couldn't think of a precise moment in time when he went from fellow expatriates and inmates to a friend. To someone who he couldn't stand to see miserable. To someone who he would spout all the stupid, saccharine, secret feelings in his heart for if it would mean he'd just stop crying and smile again.
It could have been when Keigo confessed that he'd confronted Aizen on his own and, through his disbelief, Renji realized that they had a lot more in common than he thought. It could have been the first time they'd gone drinking together and they fell into easy, relaxed banter that they'd continue every week after that. It may have been the time Keigo confessed to feeling safe around him and Renji later decided that he wanted it to stay that way. Maybe it was from the very beginning, when Keigo walked into that classroom and recognized him immediately and he felt like he wasn't entirely alone here.
Whenever it was, Renji knew that he wasn't about to lose this to some aliens. They'd taken so much from him already and he had to hold on to every last thing he got.
Renji's hand slipped over Keigo's arms before parting from him entirely, the colour fading from his face until what was left on his expression was a small smile and a searching look in his eyes as he tried to root out any traces of anxiety on his face. Finding none, he sighed out under his breath, shoulders slumping down to a more relaxed curve that immediately snapped back into a taut line when Keigo spoke. ]
Really? How so?
[ Curiosity sparked in his eyes. He liked to think it was pretty difficult for a human to pull one over him, even an exceptional human like Keigo. ]
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Still, Renji couldn't think of a precise moment in time when he went from fellow expatriates and inmates to a friend. To someone who he couldn't stand to see miserable. To someone who he would spout all the stupid, saccharine, secret feelings in his heart for if it would mean he'd just stop crying and smile again.
It could have been when Keigo confessed that he'd confronted Aizen on his own and, through his disbelief, Renji realized that they had a lot more in common than he thought. It could have been the first time they'd gone drinking together and they fell into easy, relaxed banter that they'd continue every week after that. It may have been the time Keigo confessed to feeling safe around him and Renji later decided that he wanted it to stay that way. Maybe it was from the very beginning, when Keigo walked into that classroom and recognized him immediately and he felt like he wasn't entirely alone here.
Whenever it was, Renji knew that he wasn't about to lose this to some aliens. They'd taken so much from him already and he had to hold on to every last thing he got.
Renji's hand slipped over Keigo's arms before parting from him entirely, the colour fading from his face until what was left on his expression was a small smile and a searching look in his eyes as he tried to root out any traces of anxiety on his face. Finding none, he sighed out under his breath, shoulders slumping down to a more relaxed curve that immediately snapped back into a taut line when Keigo spoke. ]
Really? How so?
[ Curiosity sparked in his eyes. He liked to think it was pretty difficult for a human to pull one over him, even an exceptional human like Keigo. ]