#[ today is renji's birthday !! ]

[kaicko]

Happy Birthday Captain Kuchiki!!! 🐰❄️🎉🎂✨

[despairforme]

At least now he's not the only clown.

[recurring-polynya]

Hello! Long time lurker. I've really enjoyed reading your work and especially love Heart is a Muscle and the way you characterise all the different relationships in it! My ask is how do you think Byakuya finds out about RenRuki. I feel like it would be one of those moments where subconsciously he'd see it coming but at the same time still be caught of guard and manage to be very Byakuya about it.

This was one of those where I wasn't quite sure if it was an ask or a fic request, but the fact is I have an old chunk of story sitting around that addresses this very question. I guess I intended to someday throw this into some post-Heart is a Muscle story, and maybe I still will, but who knows if I'm ever going to get there, so you can have it now. Takes place after everyone gets home from the Blood War (where Rukia and Renji had to confess to each other in the middle of bankai training because I thought it would be cool it was weighing on their hearts)

(I wrote this in 2019 and gave it only light edits)

| read on ao3 | request guidelines |

⚔️ 🕶️ 💕

The sun was starting to go down when Kuchiki Byakuya arrived at Practice Field #3. On a normal day, work hours would be long over, although one might find an industrious officer out in this part of the division grounds, training on their own, or a few of the younger ones playing a game of pick-up football. Tonight, it was quiet.

It had been nine days since Kurosaki Ichigo had defeated Yhwach.

A young human girl was perched on the fence surrounding the field, chatting animatedly with Byakuya's ridiculous adjutant, who snapped to attention when he sensed the approach of his commanding officer.

"Good evening, sir!" Abarai Renji barked. "Thank you for agreeing to this! I hope you don't mind, but I asked Inoue Orihime to come."

The girl hopped off the fence and bowed deeply. "Hello, again, Captain Kuchiki, sir!"

"Worried that I won't hold back?" Byakuya asked with a coolly raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I know you won't," Renji replied. "She's here so that I don't hold back."

Byakuya guffawed, and one side of his mouth quirked up. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. You've finally managed to say something humorous."

"You feeling good today, sir?" Renji asked, just a tinge of concern in his voice. "You feeling up for this?"

"I am fully recovered, thank you," Byakuya sniffed. "Yourself?"

"Feelin' good, sir."

"Then let us begin."

"Oh, one last thing, Captain. Would you mind leaving your scarf with Orihime, here? I wouldn't wanna get my blood all over another one."

"Truly, Lieutenant, you are on a roll today," Byakuya noted, unwinding the scarf from his neck and draping it around Orihime's.

"Oooh, it's so light!" Orihime cooed. "It's like nothing!"

"I'll tell Kurosaki to get you one for your birthday," Renji teased.

"Are you ready now?" Byakuya demanded.

"Yep, enough stallin'. Let's do this."

Orihime hopped back up on the fence and called up a shield in front of herself. "Good luck, Renji!" she called.

Abarai shot her a wink and took up his position on the field.

Byakuya placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but did not draw it.

Abarai drew his and silently released into shikai. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. "Might wanna release, sir."

"I shall be the judge of that."

Renji gave a little nod. "As y'like. BANKAI!"

It was common knowledge that Abarai had unlocked a second level to his bankai in the Royal Realm. Byakuya was looking forward to seeing it actually, but he wasn't particularly concerned about it.

Byakuya knew quite a bit about zanpakutou and their releases. It did happen occasionally that a sword would reveal itself in stages, but it tended to retain its essential character.

Hihiou Zabimaru was an excellent bankai, powerful and versatile. It required immense spiritual pressure, iron concentration and significant amount of mental bookkeeping, Byakuya was given to understand. It had served Abarai well in his ill-advised hijinks up until now, but the fact was, it would not be truly formidable until Abarai himself had another half-century or so under his belt. It was too bulky, too finicky, too fragile. There was no other way to master bankai like that, only experience. Byakuya knew a quite bit about bankai like that, himself.

Abarai launched himself at his captain, blade swinging.

Byakuya went to shikai as he drew his zanpakutou, petals pouring forth from his sheath and forming a shield in front of him.

Abarai's blade sliced right through it.

Byakuya flash-stepped away, sweeping Senbonzakura's blades into a more solid foundation, only to find them knocked out of the way by a giant skeletal hand. Another flash step, another regrouping, and Abarai was there again.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. Hihio Zabimaru had been a joke. A prank. A giant, heavy, impossible-to-use freight train that Abarai had taken in stride, as he did every other misfortune that fate heaped upon him. It was a shadow, an echo of Abarai's real bankai.

So-oh Zabimaru also took immense spiritual pressure to summon, that much was still true. But the bulk, the unwieldy mass was gone. It was as if though Abarai's new spiritual armor was plugged directly into his spinal column. It moved with him weightlessly, astonishingly fast.

Something else had changed, too. Something about Abarai's spiritual pressure. It was more unified, more focused, more together. For the first time out of the many, many times Byakuya had fought his lieutenant, he did not feel like he was being attacked by an angry, flailing youth, but that he was facing a worthy adversary.

Byakuya was being pressed harder and harder to defend against Abarai's assault.

And the fact was, he was not fine.

The injuries inflicted on him by As Nodt were grievous. He was lucky to be alive, and if it weren't for Kirinji's healing springs, he probably wouldn't even be able to summon his zanpakutou. His soul was damaged, and although he had made a miraculous recovery, he was not completely made whole. His speed was close to what it once was, and his bond with Senbonzakura was as strong as ever, but his power and endurance were greatly compromised. He could go to bankai if needed, but it was extremely taxing, and Shuukei Hakuteiken was, at the moment, out of his reach.

He thought it wouldn't matter.

Abarai had never even come close to beating him.

Abarai wouldn't notice such a weakness and furthermore, was too sentimental to exploit such a--

He had brought Inoue.

Abarai knew exactly what he was doing.

“BANKAI!” Byakuya called out.

Abarai smirked. “You shouldna let me get that head start, Captain.”

---

"Renji, he's waking up!"

The world swam into view, tinted orange.

"Hey, Captain!" Abarai's grating bark rang out. "How you feel?"

"I feel fine," Byakuya snapped, starting to sit up.

"Lie down please, I'm almost done, but not quite," Orihime said firmly.

Byakuya put his head back down on the ground, and replayed the last few moments of the fight in his head.

Abarai had come out aggressively, going to bankai immediately. He had never allowed Byakuya to gain a solid footing, and pulled out his strongest attack, which Byakuya had never seen, as soon as he possibly could. Byakuya hadn’t even been able to get a good look at it, he only had the impression of fangs before becoming completely overwhelmed. Abarai, who knew his attack patterns, who knew that it took him a minute or two to work up a full head of steam, had bet everything he had on defeating Byakuya immediately and it had worked.

It had been a rout, an utter humiliation.

Byakuya could still beat his adjutant, surely, but he could no longer plow him over with superior strength, and certainly not in his degraded condition. He was going to need to think up counterstrategies. And some of them were not going to work.

He looked down at his chest and realized that his shihakushou had been sliced from shoulder to hip, and was soaked, absolutely drenched with blood.

"You didn't cut me in half, did you?" he sneered.

"No, you were definitely all still, um, attached," Renji clarified.

"Not by much, though," Orihime mumbled.

Renji nudged her firmly in the shoulder.

Orihime waved her hands, and the healing bubble collapsed into nothingness. "All done!"

Abarai held out a hand. With a twinge of reluctance, Byakuya took it, and let the younger man haul him to his feet.

Orihime scrambled up, pulling the scarf over her head, and offered it back. "Thanks for letting me watch! That was a really fun fight! You're both so, so strong and it's so much nicer when no one actually wants to kill each other."

"Hey, we don't wanna keep everyone waiting, right, 'Hime?" Renji said, glancing sideways at his captain. "We got dinner plans, everyone's leavin' tomorrow."

"Yes, Rukia mentioned it," Byakuya replied dryly.

"You okay to--"

"Stop checking on me, you fool. I have said I am well and I dislike repeating myself."

Renji nodded quickly. "Thanks for the fight, sir. I'll see you in the morning."

Three hours later, Byakuya sat in his office.

He was thinking.

He was thinking about the current state of the Gotei 13, the captain-less squads, the loss of highly seated officers. He was thinking about his Third Seat, who had never exactly been lieutenant material and was currently on medical leave after having his sword-arm completely reconstructed.

Byakuya looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Uh, hi, Captain," Abarai said, clearly surprised to see him. "What are you doing here so late?"

"This is my office, is it not?" Byakuya snapped.

"Well, sure," Abarai replied, walking over to his own desk. "I left my sunglasses here," he explained, sticking them on top of his head.

"It's dark out," Byakuya pointed out.

"I'll need 'em in the morning," Renji shrugged. He frowned thoughtfully, then pulled open his filing cabinet and withdrew a folder. "Speaking of which, I was gonna give you this tomorrow, but as long as we're both here..."

He crossed the room and extended it.

Gingerly, Byakuya took it, then squinted at the notation on the tab. "Strongly Worded Letters to the Management of Squad 11?"

Abarai's eyes widened. "Oh, no, that was just to keep people from poking around. It's actually...well, it's pretty obvious what it is," he finished lamely.

"You aren't ready,"' Byakuya snarled.

"I'm...what?"

"Yes, your new bankai is very powerful, it is true. But just because you have run roughshod over a few enemies with it hardly means you're ready to strike out on your own. You need more training, more control. A bankai like that can land you in hot water as well as it can save you. Furthermore, there's a shortage of competent lieutenants, it would be foolhardy indeed for you to set forth without experienced backup, and don't tell me you're even thinking of the Seventh. I have heard how you and Lieutenant Iba are when you two are unsupervised."

Abarai's face was twisted in utter befuddlement. "Sir, what are you talking about?"

Byakuya flipped the folder open and stared at the neat stack of papers within. "This isn't an Intent to Test for the Captains' Exam," he said, taken aback.

Renji made a choking noise. "No, sir! Cripes, sir, I just got a new bankai, why would I leave? I need you to help me learn to use it. An' I wouldn't leave you, anyway, not while you're still, you know. From the As Nodt thing. Also, who the hell wants to be captain of anywhere but the Sixth?" His voice rose steadily in both volume and pitch as he babbled.

"There is no need to shout, Lieutenant," Byakuya frowned, looking down again at the stack of papers.

It was a copy of form RHCA-48-006-C, an application to become a Family-Approved Suitor.

Stupidly, Byakuya's eyes drifted over the names written into the form's blank spaces. "With the submission of this form, Abarai Renji, Assistant Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13," (did he really need to write all that out? It barely fit in the space) "requests the approval of the Kuchiki family to court Lady Kuchiki Rukia, Assistant Captain of the Thirteenth and First Daughter of the Kuchiki."

Oh.

Oh.

---

Byakuya sat in the garden, on the bench near the koi pond. His brain was chasing about in aimless circles, much like the fish in the pond.

"Brother?"

He looked up from the water. His sister was still dressed, despite the late hour. Byakuya recalled that she had been out earlier with Abarai and their human friends. Her hair and makeup was different from the way she wore it for formal events, sharper, wilder. It seemed surreal that parts of the city had been reduced to dust, while others had come through virtually untouched. That despite it all, life continued on.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked, her brow creased with worry.

Byakuya smiled at her gently, affectionately. He thought about the great lengths he had once gone to protect her from the world, and now she, a woman with one of the most beautiful and deadly bankai he had ever seen, was fussing over him.

"I am fine, Rukia," he reassured her. "Will you sit with me?"

He had expected her to perch at the other end of the bench, a nervous bird, always ready to take flight. Instead, she sat close to him, and with an egregious disregard for propriety, took one of his hands between her own, holding it in her lap. "Renji's sorry, you know. He thought he should have waited another week or two, but I said--"

"He should not be,” Byakuya said stiffly. “Another week or two would have made no difference. I do not wish to speak of it further."

"Did you have something to eat--"

"Did you know that my lieutenant is in love with you?"

It was dark, so he couldn't see if Rukia's cheeks turned pink, but he did catch the shy smile that crossed her lips before she turned her face away self-consciously. Long ago, he had caused her normally unflappable sister to make that face once, maybe twice. It was possibly his greatest achievement.

"He, ah, mentioned something to that effect the other day,"

Byakuya was fairly certain that Abarai wouldn't have proceeded without Rukia's buy-in, but he felt it prudent to double-check. "I take it you... reciprocate?"

She made a pleased little hum. "He only happened to mention it at all because I had just told him that I was in love with him."

Byakuya often enjoyed whimsically deriding his ridiculously hardworking and absurdly devoted adjutant, even more so in the presence of his sister, whose affection for the man had long been obvious, if not the degree of it. But he couldn't bring himself to make jokes, not right now.

"You do not need my permission to take up with him romantically," he pointed out. "You and I have had a long-standing agreement, that as long as you were discreet about it--"

"Renji and I don't want that," Rukia interrupted. "I mean, we do. We do want to take up romantically." She made an odd face at having to say the phrase out loud. "But you're very important to both of us. We wanted you to know. We… wanted you to approve."

Byakuya glanced over at the young woman who he had adopted so many years ago, and yet, had only recently become his sister. She was, in so many ways, much like himself in his youth. Brash. Stubborn. Willful. Too brilliant by half. Byakuya adjusted his hand in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You know I am a sentimental fool," he began, and Rukia turned to look at him again with an expression he couldn't quite parse. "I think it is embarrassingly obvious how fond I am of both of you."

Emotion broke over Rukia's face. "It is not, Brother," she tried to scold him, though her voice cracked at the end.

"He hardly deserves you," Byakuya went on.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "The two of you are so--"

"But at least he acknowledges that, and seeks to remedy it," Byakuya ignored her. "I shall be watching closely to make sure he does not become complacent, but if he continues on his current trajectory, he may eventually become worth your affection."

"So, are you going to approve his stupid form?" Rukia asked.

"That," replied Byakuya, "is a different matter."

"Oh," Rukia said softly.

"Becoming a Family-Approved Suitor has nothing to do with whether or not I like him. It is an opening of negotiations, a proof of suitability for marriage. Surely, you two don't…" He trailed off when he saw Rukia looking away again.

"We've only just started figuring this out," she admitted. "But it's not...out of the question."

"Oh," Byakuya replied. He'd always had the distinct impression that his sister had little interest in matrimony, although he knew as well as anyone the difference the "who" of the equation could make.

"That presents...a difficulty," he admitted. "The Family would not take it well. They already think I have been too selfish in these matters.”

“That’s so short-sighted,” Rukia muttered. “So he doesn’t have much money or a name that goes six generations back. He’s got bankai. He’s incredibly strong. The family hasn’t even produced anyone who can pass the vice-captain’s exam in the last hundred years.”

"You misunderstand me, Sister," he clarified. "Bringing Abarai into the family would be a tremendous benefit to me, personally. I lack for neither money nor familial pedigree. The only thing I lack is a family line. A young man of immense spiritual pressure, with no family ties of his own, and an inexplicably fierce loyalty to myself would be of great benefit to our line and perhaps to our family as a whole. It would not be very advantageous to those who are jostling to prove themselves the best among a number of poor choices. The family has not been to war in a long time, and many forget how important it is to maintain our strength. I have not forgotten.”

Rukia’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t name him…”

Byakuya made a horrified face. “Of course not.” He frowned. “Not for the family. But the Captain of the Sixth need not also be the head of the family. I told the Head Captain a year ago he was the only one I trusted to replace me in that regard, although I doubted my posthumous opinion would be respected. I suppose I should tell Kyouraku the same. This would make things a bit smoother, I suppose.” He was quiet for a moment. “I will need to think on this. I might.... I might need to talk to Grandfather. I… will do what I can.”

Rukia eased her hand from his, and slid her arms around his waist and leaned into his side. “Thank you, Brother. I love you.”

Byakuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hardly deserved her, either. He pulled one arm out of her hug and rested it gently around her shoulder. “Thank you, Rukia,” he said softly. Another deep breath. “I love you, too.”

Her only response was to hug him just the teeniest bit harder.

[cryinglittlepeople]

it's my good pal Kat's birthday today so here's a Renji to go with my roller skate Izuru from earlier today!!

Go wish kat a happy birthday, read her fanfics!!!

[dreadsuitsamus]

Jubilee | Renji Abarai x Reader |

author's note: this is an au where renji is a mechanic and reader is his secretary/bookkeeper. i plan to do an overall larger story with this au, and will likely consider this fic 'canon' to that one when it's released lol. but i love this idea and had to write something quick for it, and it's lightly inspired by an outing with my friends the other night 🩷

pairing: renji abarai x fem!reader

warnings: fluff, modern au

The sound of the door between the garage and the office area alerts you to your mechanic's presence, eyes quickly flitting to check the time— around his usual time for a snack, so you expect to soon see him with a bag of popcorn as he sits in his usual seat at the edge of your desk. But when you hear the jingling of his keys instead of the microwave popcorn popping, all sense of time and the world as you know it shatters. This man, while not strict about routine at all, has always naturally followed the same way day in and day out.

Renji appears before your desk, the keys to the building and his car swinging around the ring looped on his index finger. "C'mon, we're closing early today."

Blinking and quickly pinching your thigh to ensure this is real and that you haven't nodded off at the desk again, you perk a brow at your friend and technical boss. "Huh?"

"Gotta clean your ears out." He teases with that handsome smile. "I know everything I tell you goes in one ear and out the other, but clearly some stuff sticks since you apparently didn't hear me. I said, c'mon. Shop's closed the rest of the day."

"But you've still got-" Your hands search for the daily schedule Renji wrote out for himself, and on it it shows he's only got but four of the six oil changes done, not to mention the—

"Hey!" He knocks his knuckles against your wooden desk. "It's fine. Trust me, the work'll still be there tomorrow. Now can you please come on?"

Irritation twinges at your lips, pulling them into a bit of a pout, not that you'd admit that to him and take the chance of him wanting to stay late another day to make up for the short workday. He slips into one of his nice button-up shirts he keeps on standby— his favorite Hawaiian shirt, actually. It's black and the flowers are a mix of white and warm colors, and you've always thought it looks stunning on him.

"What's the occasion?" The question is a hum on your lips while you tidy up the desk and shut down your computer.

"It's the last night of that lil carnival that's in town. I wanna go check it out." Renji says boredly, swinging his keys as he waits for you to finish getting ready to go. "I want you to go with me. My treat."

"Aren't you generous, paying for a lady's three dollar entrance ticket?" You tease and pick up your purse, following him out of the door and waiting as he locks up.

"Turns out 'm not the worst boss after all, eh? I remember birthdays too, punk, so consider this part of your birthday present." He pokes at your forehead with a sly grin, and damn him to hell— you were quite hoping he'd forgotten your upcoming, dreaded thirty-third birthday.

Your lips pull into a pout. "So you're admitting you're the boss here, hm?" Renji always tells customers you're the one in charge and sticks with that mindset even when you're alone, so such a statement from him is odd.

"Just for today. Had to give ya a break." Renji winks, the light from the sun that's just barely starting to set casting a nice glow on him.

Your scoff is light and followed by a warm laugh, and soon you're ducking into one of Renji's many cars. It's his daily driver, nothing fancy or classic or particularly stunning, but it's the only automatic he owns and thus the only one you can actually drive, so it's your favorite by default. "This jubilee happens every year, y'know, and this is the only time you've ever mentioned it outside of complaining about all the traffic it causes."

Renji shrugs, looking far too relaxed as he drives. "I wanna go."

Good enough for me.

The city park is full of people and madness as Renji drives in, swooping into the last miraculously-empty parking spot. And bless his foolishness as he smiles cheekily at the father of five that's fuming in the minivan as he has to make another rotation for an empty spot. You hide a snicker in your hand and walk with Renji to the entrance, watching as he charms the old lady selling the tickets and making her day.

"What?? Six dollars?! You're cleaning me out, missy." He teases, opening his wallet and pulling out the cash for the entry fee. Bless the old woman's heart as she laughs and blushes at Renji's innocent flirting and slaps the two tickets into his hand.

"I think you'd make more money as a stripper for old ladies." You snort and walk with your friend into the carnival, the bright lights from the rides and the smell of greasy food attacking your senses.

"I don't have the rhythm for stripping." Renji laments with a dramatic sigh.

Your giggle is music to Renji's ears as you survey the carnival. The lines are all long and he's not quite sure how he feels about some of these rides— this was put together in a matter of days?? Hell no.

The ferris wheel still looks kind of fun, however…

Renji leads the way to the ride, and after a quick glance back to make sure you're still there, he takes your hand. "Don't go missing on me now!"

The warmth of his hand is just barely hotter than the burn of your cheeks; it's been five years since you met and subsequently started working with Renji at his dingy little auto shop, and you loathe to think about the truth of why you've been single all this time— if that sort of love with your friend was in the cards, it would've happened by now.

Renji, oblivious to your mental plight, finally finds the end of the line to the ferris wheel and staunchly takes his place and quietly dares anyone to try and cut in line. His hand is still firmly holding yours and it's like a switch flicks in his mind with how suddenly he drops it.

"Your hand is oddly soft." You murmur as you begin people watching.

"I keep telling you, WD-40 is the best moisturizer you can use!" Renji insists with a laugh, and you shove him playfully— he knows how much you hate the smell of the degreaser.

The line moves slowly, as expected for a ferris wheel, and it's dark by the time you're loading into your carriage. The breeze is cooler than it has been all day long, and Renji notices your shiver as the ride gets going. "I didn't bring a jacket." He murmurs. "You can use my shirt, if you want."

You shake your head and rub your arms as they litter with goosebumps. "No, it's okay. It's just a little chilly."

"Mm. Well, come here." His leanly muscled, tattooed arm slips around your shoulders and already you feel a certain warmth enveloping you. "Been told I run like a furnace."

"You do."

"Guess that makes me pretty hot, huh?" Renji's smile is full and you just can't help yourself but laugh at his cheesy little joke.

"With all the swearing I hear from that garage and that red hair of yours, you're definitely at least a hothead."

"Ooooh, deserved." The redhead hisses. "I don't try to be, y'know."

"I know. I also know all that effort goes out the window the second you hit your head on a hood."

"Hey, you give it a try and tell me you wouldn't let out a swear or two!" Renji pouts, brow furrowed and he looks so stupid but still so damn cute.

"I don't have any reason to be under a hood— that's what I have you for."

"Damn right." He's smug now, the bozo. He squeezes you tighter to his side, running his hand up and down your arm a few times. "You feel okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He's so warm, and damn that fancy cologne of his, the one that cost him more than one of his tattoo sessions. It's essentially been designed to set every nerve of yours alight and fill your chest with a pounding urge to pounce on the poor mechanic that just wanted to smell nice.

"Good." He mutters lowly, his thumb swiping across your chilly skin.

The ferris wheel is filled up eventually, and you get maybe five rotations before a sudden stop, the LED lighting on the sides of each carriage going out as well. Renji groans, louder than the other voices in the midst of the outage, and looks down at the ground and tilts the carriage enough to make your heart skip a terrifying beat. Before you can even think twice you're grabbing the back of his shirt and tugging him closer to you.

"We are all the way at the top! Do not tilt this fucking thing!"

"Scaredy-cat." Is all Renji responds with, the bastard.

"Shut up!" You hiss, and Renji finally settles in as someone down below alerts you through a megaphone that the fireworks show is about to begin, and that they've had to pause the ride.

"Well look at that. We got the best seat in the house." Your mechanic settles in, pulling you close to his warm side as the show begins.

And truly, it's worth being stuck at the top of the ride. The lights are fantastically bright, the shapes and pops and booms all backed by a playlist full of some of your personal favorite bops and classics. Renji smiles as you sing along, and finds himself looking at you more than the show, not that you notice his watchful eyes.

Renji carefully slips his phone from his pocket and snaps a few photos, and by the time he takes the last picture you've caught on long enough to smile for the camera. And that's as long as your interest lasts as the finale starts up, but Renji's too busy setting the perfect picture as his phone's wallpaper to witness it.

His heart warms when you meet his eyes just as the last few fireworks go off, and his cheeks flush red at the gentle, brief touch of your lips to his cheek. "Thank you for the birthday present, Renji."

He makes sure to bring you to the local event and do the same thing each and every year after, if for nothing other than your sweet kiss.

[bleachbleachbleach]

My job offer anniversary for my current job is January 31, which I remember specifically because of, of course, Byakuya's birthday. More specifically I remember this anniversary because that morning I'd woken up and immediately wrote down all my thoughts about Byakuya calling Renji "Renji" before work. And when I got the call later that evening was eating dinner, also in the middle of thinking about Byakuya.

I will probably forever associate this job with Byakuya.

But we were interviewing a prospective fellow today, and my job market trauma and general social anxiety is so off the charts that even though *I was not even the candidate being interviewed!!* now I'm sitting at home thinking about what a bad job I did at... interviewing? Introducing her demo? Making dinner conversation? ALL OF THE ABOVE.

More specifically, I am sitting here shouting, WELL, THAT'S NOT VERY BYAKUYA OF ME, IS IT.

I think there are a lot of reasons why aspiring to Byakuya is a bad idea, but I think in this case I could use a little bit more Byakuya energy!! jfc

[actuallysaiyan]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RENJI 😃😃 Let’s give him lots of love today!!

For Renji's bday, I will ride his [REDACTED] until he [REDACTED]. Then we'll both [REDACTED] and then he can [REDACTED] my [REDACTED].

😌😌😌😏😏😏 happy birthday Renji! He deserves to have a pretty girl(me) jump out of a cake for him

[rose-riot-johnson]

Okay my Tumblr Peeps... Last minute post... So, I would like to wish Bleach's very own Renji Abarai a happy birthday today (8/31) 🎉🎉🎉🧁🧁🧁🎁🎁🎁🎂🎂🎂🥳🥳🥳👍

[suvidrache]

Hiii!! Omg I know his birthday has passed, but can I request a Renji Abarai fic where he goes to a theme park with his S/O for his birthday and it ends with some spicy time 👀?!?! TYSM 😭😭

Late Birthday Surprises

age in bio when interacting. minors do not interact.

Word Count: 899 | Read it on AO3

He wanted to take the day off. After all, it was his birthday. However, you were also scheduled to work that day. Both of you wouldn't be home to see each other until later that night. You wanted to spend the day with your boyfriend and celebrate the day together, but you couldn't. It wouldn't be for a few more days when you both had the day off together.

You woke up early and quickly got ready for the day as Renji laid asleep. While you were downstairs cooking breakfast, Renji rolled over. He patted the bed where you would be. There was nothing, not even a warm spot. You were gone. He stretched and sat up, looking around for you. He should probably get ready for the day, but at the same time, he wanted to find you first. He made his way downstairs and found you setting the table.

"Good morning." You said with a smile as you walked over to him and wrapped your arms around him.

He hugged you back and kissed your head. His attention was still on the table.

"Good morning. What's this?"

"It's breakfast. I made it for you. We're celebrating your birthday."

He smiled and kissed you properly before heading over to the table.

"Thank you." He didn't expect you to do all that, but he was grateful and happy that even though it wasn't his actual birthday, you still made plans to celebrate it.

After eating, Renji tried to help you clean up, but you told him you would handle it and he should get dressed so that you could both head out. Renji wanted to stay and help, but he was also still shirtless and only wearing his boxers. So he left while you took care of the things. When he returned, he was dressed and ready to go. You grabbed anything you may need and headed out with him following you.

"Where are we going?" He asked as he placed an arm around you.

"The place you've been wanting to go."

He didn't say anything further. He had completely forgotten about where he wanted to go. He had wanted to go to a theme park, but never had a day off so he could go. You never forgot, and you planned to take him to one as soon as he was off of work. Not only was he off today, but he was also off the next day as well, so it was the perfect time to take him there.

You wandered through the empty streets, your hand in Renji's. He smiled when he saw just where you had taken him.

"Thank you, babe." He said as he wrapped his arm around you once again and gave you a hug.

His first place to stop at was to win you a prize. You told him to keep it, as it is his birthday (sort of), but he insisted that you keep it. So you did. The next stop was a couple of rides and then some food. You refused to let go of the stuffed bear at any point in time. It always stayed in your lap or in your arms. Together, the three of you continued to play and ride until the day started coming to an end.

You walked hand in hand with Renji and the bear in your other arm.

"Thank you." Renji said happily. Despite the long day, he was still full of energy and not tired yet. Neither were you.

You walked inside and locked the door behind you. Then you followed Renji up the stairs and to the bedroom. You set the bear down on a cabinet while Renji got ready for bed.

The moon was out, and it cast very little light into your room. You had completely forgotten the cake that lay in the fridge.

You got ready for bed and lay beside Renji. Your hand slowly traces over his tattoos or his muscles. He often slept in only his boxers.

"Thank you again for today."

"You're welcome. I had fun. It's also not your only surprise." You said as your hand continued tracing over his body. A frequent habit of yours.

"Oh really? What's the other surprise?"

You moved over so your legs were on either side of his body. You removed your shirt, revealing your lingerie beneath it. Renji's hand instinctively went to your hips. His breathing slowed as his eyes slowly traveled up and down your body. He moved his hand slowly up to touch your chest. You pressed yourself into his hand and he bit his lip as his cock began to harden.

"I like this surprise. Keep going."

Your hips slowly began to rub against him, and he let out a moan.

Your hands were pressed against his abs as you continued to move your hips back and forth. Eventually, you both came, and you slid his boxers down, freeing his cock from its clothed confinement.

Your hand slid his cum down his cock and he moaned. You moved and slid him inside of you, letting out a moan. Renji's hands returned to your hips, and slowly, you began to move yourself up and down. One hand on him for support. The other works to rub/stroke yourself as you continue your movements. Occasionally, Renji would thrust up into you, causing you to moan out.

© SUVIDRACHE — do not copy, translate, modify, or plagiarize my work. reblogs are appreciated!

Tag List: @eli-chris / Join my tag list here!

[bendingwind]

I am here to 🖋️ you!!

��😁😁😁😁

Okay so this is from the ✨gr8✨ idea fic, tentatively titled The Most Eligible Bachelor in the Seireitei. The premise is hilarious to me, though the story is shaping up to be much more serious. RenRuki pre-relationship. It's not going to be super long, maybe 7-10k words. I'm hoping I can knock the whole thing out today and post on my birthday this week but we'll see!

Renji scowled.

“I can learn table manners!” he insisted.

“Oh it’s not just table manners,” Rukia said merrily. “For example, did you know that if you accept dinner with the same family three times, it’s tantamount to accepting a proposal? They’ll have the paperwork all ready for you when you arrive and everything.” “What?” Renji asked.

[crimsonstray]

"Renji!" Rukia gives a large wave at him and picks up to a near sprint on seeing him, her voice loud and full of enthusiasm. With a boastful sort of hum and a grin, she gives a box to him."Rejoice, because I have brought you cake for your birthday! Chocolate cake to be exact. Hopefully it doesn't ruin your appetite with having sweets so early in the day."

In her other hand, which she also gestures out to him, is a gift wrapped box, hiding tiger striped framed sunglasses with dark wide lenses, with a reflection that seems stronger than a mirror somehow, paired with a little hand drawn note. "There's also this, but, the cake is probably better. Are you gonna go out drinking with friends? Or just gonna tuck yourself away at work?" Something in her voice, or the sharp glare she sends is saying the later is an option she'll refuse to accept. "...Or did you want to do anything?"

Leave it to Rukia to remember when he had almost forgotten. It wasn't until he'd walked out of his quarters, strutting towards his office that several members of the sixth started congratulating him and wishing him well. There were a few notes on his desk too to which he was grateful but he had to go train some newbies so out he went again. It wasn't until he was done and heading back that he heard her more than enthusiastic voice prompting him to immediately turn and greet her with a smile.

' rejoice? ' he chuckled, accepting the box of chocolate cake. actually, it would be a good thing to keep for later since lunch was almost happening and he didn't want to ruin his appetite as she'd said. ' okay, I'm rejoiced. but you could have kept it a surprise, ' he teased, smile growing a little too cocky before adding, ' hm. keeping it for later, thanks. ' he paused to consider something then blurted out, ' and you're having it with me, of course. ' he said it in a way that made it clear that he wasn't taking no for an answer.

the other offering had him quirk a tattooed eyebrow. he was curious what was inside but also didn't want to spoil the surprise so he accepted it too with a, ' oh cool! now this is something I'm looking forward to opening. but also later. this evening. ' when she asked about his plan he would have scratched his cheek but since his hands were full he just hummed. ' well, I was supposed to go back to the office and finish some paperwork since training took a little longer than I expected. and since I've got a pile i really wanted to finish that today. but maybe that won't happen... either way, i wasn't planning on drinking with friends. ' he paused noticing the look she was giving him that said his plans weren't acceptable so he added, ' well, i wanted to spend it with you actually. is that okay? '

[wild-pineapple-butt]

He will go overboard with his birthday gifts, as he always does, and especially given he'd been away for so long.

It'll begin with a basket of fresh taiyaki waiting for Renji at his desk in the morning, with one more being delivered in time for lunch, and even one dropped off at his desk before leaving for the day by messengers. At least one large boquet of flowers, a mixture of their Divisions' insignias, will also be delivered, along with a handmade bandana to join Renji's collection.

When Renji gets home, he will find a massive, handmade plushie of his bankai waiting for him on the couch, the fabric soft and fluffy and perfect to use as a pillow. His favorite meal for dinner is already prepared and on the table, alongside a bottle of expensive red wine from the world of the living, and Izuru has a bottle of massage oil.

"I hope that... It's alright."

Renji's birthday 2023 ||| Accepting @toomanydamnmuses

When it came to gift giving, Izuru loved to spoil Renji. No matter if it was for his birthday, their anniversary, or any other occasion. Kira always found opportunities to spoil him.

Today was no different as Renji walked into his office and found a basket of fresh taiyaki waiting for him accompanied with a small note from his boyfriend. As the day goes on, more and more gifts pour into his office - surely Kira didn't think he could actually eat all of that taiyaki? He could, but he might swear off of the treat for months to come. Instead, he shared it with his fellow squad members and kept a few for himself to enjoy.

Even more gifts await for him at home, complete with dinner and his boyfriend eagerly greeting him. "Kami... was this all necessary...?" Renji shakes his head with a soft huff, but nonetheless he gives his lover a soft kiss on the forehead to show his appreciation.

"Thanks, ya never fail to go above and beyond fer me."

[despairforme]

Oh? Was it Nnoitra's birthday? Renji must have missed it. Regardless, he bore a gift for the other, in the form of huge ripe strawberry for the fairy. Hopefully, the small creature would enjoy it to his heart's content. Judging by how he had devoured it last time, Renji had a feeling this one would be enjoyed, as well.

NNOITRA’S BIRTHDAY 2022 ! 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈    

      No big deal, right? WHY should anyone remember his birthday? That's what he should be thinking, but instead he was disappointed that NONE of the other fairies had congratulated him. It probably had something to do with the fact that there were hundreds of others who had the same birthday ( they hatched in batches after all ), but STILL! In protest, he had decided not to do ANY work today. He was sitting on a stone ( which, to him, appeared more like a mountain ). The view was gloomy. It would be winter soon - the worst season for any fairy. He watched a leaf fall towards the ground, and for a moment he was tempted to raise it. He remained seated, however, determined to not do anything today. A person approached. He could hear them a mile away, and he was weary. He wasn't supposed to be seen by others, so he'd have to go and hide. TYPICAL. But, when the person came into view from in between the trees, Nnoitra recognized him. It was that tall red haired man who had given him berries before. Instead of hiding, Nnoitra stood up and waved his arms to get his attention. Maybe it worked, maybe the man had already spotted him. Either way, Nnoitra was soon handed a HUGE strawberry. He was barely able to carry it, so he placed it down on the stone, letting out a breath from the weight. He beamed with delight and ran his hands all over the berry, feeling the texture of the skin. Was this a birthday gift!? If it was, it was the best gift ever! He could hardly wait to dig in! He showed the man two tiny thumbs up and grinned brightly, to try to show his appreciation for the gift.

[recurring-polynya]

Writing Update/Art Update 1.16.2024

Well, I did finish that scene I was fussing about last week, but only on a technicality. The first thing that happened was that I thought of some other scene I wanted to write, and I let myself do that. It's 1800 words of zanpakutou nonsense that is currently slated for late in Chapter 8. I mentioned that I felt like another chapter was creeping its way into my outline, so I just went ahead and rearranged a little. I feel better about the outline, although I'm not sure a second extra chapter won't try to sneak its way in there.

Then what happened was that my friend had a Bake-Off themed birthday party, so I spent several days planning a bake and baking things and being consumed with anxiety and then actually going to the party and then being very, very tired. (In case anyone was curious: Earl Grey roll cake with blood orange curd fill, covered in chocolate ganache, then decorated with Earl Grey whipped cream, candied blood oranges, and raspberry-swirl macarons. It was really good. For the record, the other bakes were on the same level. My friend has some really intense friends 😂)

I went back to The Scene and looked at the outline again, and I realized that I needed to do a POV swap, but I didn't have a scene change. This is tricky business, so what I did was roll back about 1000 words and have Rukia do an exit stage left. That lets Renji take over the narration and Rukia can come back in later. I started the Renji-part but didn't get very far into it, but that was a separate bullet on the outline, so I feel justifying in checking off the Rukia-bullet.

My kids had off yesterday and then it snowed, and they got a snow day today and I am still very tired.

How is the drawing going, P? Well! The second week of prompts was all themed around "packaged food" which was significantly harder to do in a quick and easy way. Then, I mentioned that I wanted to do a Rukia-drawing. I did the sketch and I spent an hour and a half on coloring it. I decided it would look good in pastels, even though I don't know shit about how to use the pastel brushes. In any case, I realized that it was going to take another million hours of work and I simply did not like it enough to put in another million hours of work, so I gave up on it. I can always pick it up again later if I feel like it, but I have too much else to do. So, in other words, I did spend some time drawing on at least five days of last week, which is what my goal was, but I did not have a whole lot to show for it. Like I said last week, I have been posting my daily art to the art club forum, but Wedsday's prompt was "Pickle Jar" and decided to do some Between Tides fanart (by the loosest possible definition of fanart) and show it to you folks instead. This was so frickin' hard, but I really like the way my lil daikon came out!

Anyway, new week, word counter goes back to 0, hopefully this one will be a little more focused and maybe I'll actually be able to make some progress on Chapter 7.

[monkifuraibo]

(modern) He takes particular pleasure in kissing Renji awake today. "Hap-py Birth-day," he singsongs, punctuating each syllable with another kiss.

"Guess what?" In mulling on it, he'd come to a firm conclusion about what would make a fitting birthday present for Renji. Since he'd thought of it early enough, he'd been able to secure Rose's help in planning ahead. Namely, in blocking out his schedule for today's very important boyfriend duties. "I'm all yours today."

--- As per usual, he does not take kindly to being awoken before He's well and truly ready. And, therefore, he forgets even what day it is, nearly hitting Shuuhei in the face as he whips his pillow around and buries his well-kissed face beneath it with a groan. It isn't until his boyfriend's wonderful voice reaches his ears from beneath that downy darkness and the words are properly processed that he peeks out from under the pillow. Once he's reappeared, awake and now very much appreciative of Shuuhei's affection { positive languishing in it }, he offers him a lazy smile.

"Mornin'" he says, voice gravelly with the remnants of sleep. That sleepy haze spontaneously lifts, though, as Shuuhei reveals his surprise. "Really?" His grin stretches across his face and he cups the brunet's face, rolling over and on top of him, claiming a kiss. He'd kept him in the dark, so Renji had expected Shuuhei's schedule to be as busy as ever. "Thank you!" More kisses are rained down upon his lover's face, scarred and not. "What should we do?"

[bleachbleachbleach]

5/13 - 5/18/24

This week was very stressful, upsetting (and hormonal lol), in the sense of that post-crisis period where the crunch has technically ended but the rubble is PRODIGIOUS and you can't really get out of crisis mode. And then you're also harriedly trying to set up for the next phase, and also the phase after that, and also 2025.

But I did re-read all of Hisagi's chapter, and hated it, so there's that. And added a bunch of notes to the bottom of Hisagi's chapter. And did a bunch of outlining for Rukia 10, which is the chapter that's very different than it was originally, and made me change a bunch of things in Renji 11.

I had a grand day today, though! This was my birthday present to me, a foraging/foraged cooking event held by my neighbor at a local nature center. Truth be told, my neighbor did most of the foraging on her own, because it's a very time-consuming activity, but we finished it out with some key ingredients and got to cooking.

Dedicated readers of this blog will appreciate the BURDOCK AGENDA on display here. *I* WAS VERY APPRECIATIVE, AND VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE BURDOCK USAGE.

For the main course, we steamed lake trout in burdock leaves (as one might use a banana leaf, if bananas were local to you), buried with campfire coals and seasoned with salt, wild garlic, and spruce tips. Look at these cute leaf-wrapped babies. 🥺

It was very fun, very delicious, and had the bonus feature of allowing me to silently be like "this is just like my fanfic fr"

Even though they don't eat any of these things and what they do make probably mostly tastes like dirt. *I* had a great time, they have a terrible time; but we both got rained on a lot, and foraging is involved, so it's close enough!