Friday Night Drinks
Word Count: 650
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: ByakuyaxRenji
Summary: Renji's late for the Friday night "meeting" and his friends give him a hard time.

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Abarai Renji hurried through the streets, ignoring the curious glances he received from the people he raced by. He was already half an hour late and he dared not be any tardier or he would miss out on all the fun. Street vendors called out to him to stop and buy food while more than one prostitute tried to latch onto him as he hurried through the red light district to his destination. At last Renji skidded around a corner and took a moment to stop and breathe as his destination was in sight. He started up again, racing towards the entrance to the bar chosen for tonight’s gathering.

A bell tinkled from the depths of the store as Renji opened the front door, but its noise was lost in the din coming from the stereo and more than one drunken shout. For a moment he stood in the doorway, catching his breath and looking around for his friends. He located them sitting at a grimy table on the opposite side of the room and he hurried forward to join them.

Hisagi Shuuhei looked up from the bottle he was nursing at the other vice-captain. “About time you got here. We were just about ready to go to your house to see if you were there. We didn’t want to you miss out on your night off.”

“Shut up,” Renji growled as he sat down next to the other shinigami, “You lot would have only come to my place to see if I had anything to drink so you didn’t have to pay. I was at work.”

“Kuchiki-taichou keep you late again?” Ikkaku questioned from the other side of the table as he poured Renji a glass of whatever it was they were drinking.

Renji took a sip of the offered drink and then looked up at the other man. “Yeah, he did but-”

Everyone burst out noisily laughing at this. “You are sooo his bitch, you know that Renji,” Ikkaku declared loudly, thumping the other on the back.

“Grr, get off me. I am not,” Renji scowled, knocking Ikkaku away from him.

“But it’s true-” he started again, before getting punched in the face by Renji.

“Presonally,” Kira started up from the other side of the table, “I think it’s a good thing to be so close to your captain.”

“Oh, shut up, you’re just saying that because you miss Gin,” Iba called out drunkenly.

Kira looked slightly hurt and exclaimed, “I’m not! It is important, and, also, I mean it’s not as thought Kuchiki-taichou is bad looking…”

“Ugh, Kira,” Renji muttered, “I like tits.” After another moment thinking he added, “And I’m sure taichou does too.”

Everyone- included Kira- laughed at the idea of the esteemed head of the Kuchiki household thinking about anything other than work.

“Heh,” Shuuhei started, trying to stop laughing, “I bet the guy hasn’t gotten any for decades, if ever. He’s always acting so uptight, like there’s a stick stuck up his ass.”

“Well it sure ain’t mine,” Renji exclaimed, to howls of laughter. “He’s just got morals, unlike you lot.”

“Maybe you’re both a little too moral, Renji,” Iba called out, “I mean, how long is it since you last got any?”

Renji muttered something that none of them could hear. “Exactly,” Iba started again, “You probably don’t even know what kind of girl you would want.”

“Sure I do,” Renji said as he took another gulp from his glass, “She would have to be pretty, tall, but not taller than me, and pale, preferably with black hair.”

“Hmm,” Ikkaku snorted, “Sound like you just described Rukia-san.”

“Or Kuchiki-taichou,” Kira added.

“Ugh, come on, Rukia’s… just a childhood friend and taichou’s a guy,” Renji scowled, “You stay out of this Kira. Just shut up you lot and hand me another bottle. I’m way too sober to be having a conversation like this.”