I inofficially hijacked the themes from the LJ-Community 50_themes and #25 - Unsweetened Tea gave me this spontaneous idea. I associate Byakuya and Renji strongly with tea - I blame fandom.
Unsweetened tea was one of the few things they had in common. The grassy smell and light, translucent green color pronounced by the glazed white cups cradled in one hand. A pleasingly faint, bitter aftertaste that accompanied every sip of the steaming beverage when it had been prepared correctly with water at 80 degrees and brewing no longer than one or two minutes. Adding sugar or honey would equal an unforgivable sin, upsetting the balance of the tea's taste and robbing the leaves of their natural flavor – a slap in the face of the hardworking farmer. They mutely agreed on this matter every time they shared a cup of tea; a small ritual that had become sacred.
The similarities in finer points, mundane details were what Byakuya treasured most. He enjoyed that Renji tasted just like him when they kissed after a cup of unsweetened tea.