#rukia and renji just use the karakura kids as weapons against each other tbh

[zabiume]

So, I don't know if anyone remembers, but back in the days of yore when I wrote my Dad Friend Renji Fic, we all joked about Chad teaching Renji what a meme is, and this is literally what that is. Writing has been slow lately, so I thought I'd take a shot at writing a lighthearted drabble between the two underrated dudes of the six hearts club. Set during the Advance Team arc, when these two were training together.

No Byakuyas were harmed in the making of this fic. | Read on Ao3

The shoji slid open with a swish.

“What does this mean?”

Chad blinked. It was not uncommon for Abarai Renji to be loud and abrasive, even so as to announce his arrival via heavy footfalls minutes before he got somewhere. What Chad hadn’t expected, however, was the phone being thrust into his face. He squinted.

On screen was a slightly blurry picture of a tall, sharp-nosed man with long, glossy hair that was pinned back with a kenseikan. His hands were locked over his belly, a solemn frown on his face. Chad zoomed into the picture. The man seemed familiar enough, dressed in the standard Soul Society Captains’ robe; Chad was about 80% sure this was the Captain Ichigo had squared off with on Sokyoku Hill, but he couldn’t be too sure.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” he replied slowly, eyes flicking up to Renji’s face. He looked distressed, like he’d spent a good ounce of his brain cells trying to decipher the photo. Was that what he’d been trying to do during their training break?

“Read the caption,” Renji insisted, thrusting the phone further into Chad’s purview even as the latter inched back. ‘Rukia [snowflake][crown]’ it said, on the top bar of the phone. The picture, however, was artfully captioned,

‘You know he had to do it to em [sunglasses]’

Chad chuckled, the soft sound of laughter passing through his nose with a small ‘hmph.’

“What?” Renji demanded, taking the phone back and glaring at the photo again. He tilted it, and then also tilted his head -- like that would unlock some secret message. “I don’t get it. He had to do what? To whom?” He frowned, narrowing his brows at Chad. “This is a prank, isn’t it? Did Rukia set you up to this?” His ‘Rukia Put Someone Up To This’ radar was vibrating with an alarming intensity.

Chad shook his head, surprised. Then, “Do you not have memes in Soul Society?”

“Memes?” Renji echoed.

Chad fished out his own phone, thumbing through screens and tapping at the buttons thoughtfully. Renji sank down to the stairs and sat beside him, peering over his shoulder curiously.

“He had to do it to ‘em,” Chad explained, nudging his phone into Renji’s hand. There was a man, standing in the same pose as Byakuya, spouting a seemingly non-threatening smile at the camera. Renji glanced at the picture of Byakuya, then back at the meme, and a slow grin spread over his face as he snorted.

“Ha!” he said, giving both pictures a once-over again. “That’s actually pretty funny. Thanks Chad.” He took his phone back, a self-satisfied smile on his face as he began typing back.

“I could...show you some more, if you’d like,” Chad suggested.

The idea of having an edge over Rukia in the meme game suddenly sounded very appealing to Renji. “Hell yes!” He clapped his hands together in enthusiasm, inching closer to Chad. “Show me the memes. Show me all the memes.”

Chad smiled.

omake

Rukia [snowflake][crown]: Ichigo's been SNORING for the last six hours str8, it's killing me!!!!!

Renji [monkey]: this is so sad alexa play despacito

...

...

Rukia[snowflake][crown]: WHO THE HECK TAUGHT YOU WHAT A MEME IS???????

#chad #renji abarai #rukia and renji just use the karakura kids as weapons against each other tbh #myfic