When you first met your tiny 7th seat, what was your first impression compared to how you feel about her now?
Unprompted ||| Always Accepting
Oh man. Renji sighed and pushed his hair back at the question. Just thinking about when he first met Kaisa was enough to bring on a headache. He'd heard some good things about her from her previous division and had been quite eager to meet her, BUT he truly wasn't prepared for the little gremlin that would plague him.
She was rebellious in every way imaginable except when it came to doing paperwork and sparring. That, she truly excelled in. Everything else including eating, sleeping, taking breaks, taking it easy - she put up a fight if she could. And many times, she won.
Renji had quite a hard time trying to wrap his around her personality, and trying to understand her behaviors. At one point, he thought it was just better to leave her be and let her do what she wanted to.
But just as much as she was stubborn, so was he. He became more persistent in making sure she went home on time, in making sure she ate lunch properly, and just ensuring her wellbeing. Honestly, he could see a bit of himself in her. Specifically his younger days where he was reckless and chose to pursue a goal that was bigger than he could ever dream to achieve. Self sacrificing and not really caring about himself in the way he should have.
And just naturally over time, the walls came crumbling down, and slowly their vulnerabilities just exposed themselves to each other. Seeking comfort in someone else that understood the unique situation they'd been put through, and had been there - knowing what it felt like to lose people, to feel defeat, to feel useless at times when they were needed the most.
Now, they're kinda attached at the hip. He's definitely kind of slipped into this big brother/guardian role for Kaisa, but at the same time she kind of grounds him as well.
She's still a gremlin, through and through. Of course making things hard for Renji on purpose sometimes. Giving him grief when she decides to enter a rebellious streak. But now, there's this underlying trust and bond between the two, where they can just show their weaknesses to each other without being judged.
To sum it all up - they're best bros now.
@codename-freya (for mentions ^^)
