A/N: I gave up trying to be all proper with the canon. I just want them to interact. Please.
'Beerus has a friend'
Beerus yawned and stretched as he took his first steps on the Supreme Kai's planet for a few centuries. He didn't make a habit of checking up on Shin, but certain things had come to his attention recently and he wanted some answers.
With Whis alongside him, Beerus strolled across the grass. As they neared the kai's quarters he saw not one, but two small purple kais. He cocked a brow and then narrowed his eyes.
"You!"
Old Kai stared straight back at Beerus across the field. "Nice of you to visit us," he called.
"How did you get out?!"
"Swords can be broken, you know."
Beerus growled. "That sword was supposed to be impossible to pull out of the rock I put it in."
Shin stood up and tried to put a bit of distance between the pair. "Actually, I believe you've met the man who pulled it out – Son Gohan."
"Son…? Oh, Goku's kid?" Beerus mumbled to himself as he thought about how this was exactly the kind of reason he'd see this old god again.
"Yes, we trained him until he could pull it out, and then were training him to use it when it… Well, it just broke clean in half."
Beerus folded his arms and nodded. "I don't know what else I expected."
The Old Kai coughed. "Perhaps we can put our past behind us after all these years?"
Beerus huffed and agreed. Truthfully he had trouble remembering the exact reason for locking the Old Kai away, but it must have been a good one.
"Anyway, I'm here for some of that delightful tea you have on this planet."
Shin motioned to the table where a teapot was still warm.
"No, I want it freshly prepared so it tastes perfect."
"Kibito, if you would…"
Kibito stepped up and cleared the table of the previously used fine china while Whis pulled up a third chair for Beerus.
"That won't be necessary," Beerus said. "I'd like to have my tea alone with Shin."
Old Kai huffed as he stood up and vacated his seat. Whis took his leave with him, trying to smooth things over.
Kibito returned with the tea, and Shin dismissed him once Beerus had taken a sip and seemed pleased.
"So, was there a reason for your visit today, Lord Beerus?" Shin asked.
"You know, recently I've been thinking about things. I've had a lot going on with this Super Saiyan God thing and then Champa messing around with our universe. But things have finally settled down and I realised that quite a bit happened during my recent nap. It was only…39 years? I've had yawns which have lasted longer."
"Well, yes, there were a couple of stand-out moments I suppose."
Beerus nodded in agreement. "You see, I know you and Son Goku are…well, he likes to think he's everyone's friend. The fact is, he knows who you are – well, actually, I feel like he knows just about everyone now. My point is you've also just told me you were training his son to use the Z-sword."
"Ah, yes, well…we ran into a little trouble." Shin seemed reluctant to admit it, even though he realised Beerus knew. The fact Beerus wanted him to say it put an unknown pressure on him.
"Hmm. 'Little', you say. I know for a fact that there's no way Goku walked up to that pink blob and befriended him without a fight. So, I want to hear the story; I'm sure it's a fascinating one."
Shin frowned and looked down at his tea. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be disappointed?"
"Because I have eyes and a brain between them. Get on with the story." Beerus leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table.
"Well, it all started when Babidi turned up on Earth…"
Beerus listened intently throughout the story, but pretended to be less interested by casually sipping his tea and swirling it around the cup.
"…And now Buu lives with Mr Satan in a fairly stable environment."
Beerus nodded and placed the cup back on the saucer. Now was the time to air his thoughts; he stood up and bellowed, "YOU DID WHAT?!"
Those in the Kai's quarters popped their heads through the windows to see what was going on.
"YOU TOOK ON MAJIN BUU?! WITHOUT TELLING ME?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"
Beerus took a deep breath and exhaled, reminding himself that this was all in the past now.
"Well, we had no choice. I believed that we could stop Babidi before Buu was released, but when he was… I had no choice than to try and stop him. How can I call myself the Supreme Kai of this universe if I can't defend what I've created?" Shin looked up and met Beerus's gaze.
For a moment Beerus forgot his anger. There was something sweet about the way Shin wanted to stand up for the people he was there to watch. The moment passed and Beerus returned with a harsh stare.
"I don't want to die because someone thought they'd take a shot at being the next Goku."
"You're one to talk!" Shin retorted, forgetting who he was talking to. "You and Goku almost destroyed the universe not too long ago – all because you wanted to have a bit of fun!"
Neither of the pair were within earshot of the sharp intakes of breath from the three who were intently trying to overhear everything.
A serious expression came over Beerus's features and a purple aura began to emanate from him. Inside, Whis stood up, ready to intervene.
Shin came to his senses and apologies immediately began to spill from his lips. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that – I mean – we'd both be dead if the universe was destroyed, and I didn't think you'd want that…"
Beerus shoved the table aside and the sound of broken china made everyone else wince. He took the two strides needed to close the gap between them.
"Isn't this the time to stop him?" Kibito asked of Whis.
"No, this is time to watch and see what happens."
"They're both about to die if we let this continue." Kibito made to rush out to Shin, but Whis grabbed him and made him stay put.
Old Kai laughed. "Feels good to have transferred that life link. Guess I'll get to be on top again."
Shin was shaking, but he still found the courage to maintain eye contact as Beerus stood there towering above him. A hand came up and instead of the slap he was expecting it caressed his cheek in a manner Shin hadn't thought possible of Beerus in his current state. Then Beerus pulled him close in an embrace.
"Don't ever do that again." This time there was a gentle, caring quality to his voice under all the anger. "Seeing as I have no choice but to literally die for you, you can come and wake me up any time, okay?"
Shin nodded into Beerus's chest. "Will do."
"I'm going to have words with Whis too. He should have been keeping a closer eye."
He looked around to see if Whis was nearby, and there he saw the eyes of his attendant, as well as those of Shin's and that old fart too. Quickly he let go of Shin, aware that his tender side had been revealed to more people than he would have liked. Meanwhile Shin was quite relieved to no longer be in such close proximity of the god he both feared and relied on.
"Hey, Whis!" Beerus called. "Anyway thanks for the tea, it was fantastic as always."
"And sorry about the fine china," Whis finished for him.
"But time is getting on and I've other things to do and destroy, you know. See you round, kiddo." Beerus placed a hand on Whis's shoulder and they were gone in a flash.
Shin stood there blinking, happy to still be standing. Kibito was running out to him.
"Did you enjoy your trip, my lord?" Whis asked as they made their way home.
"Yeah."
"Did you talk about everything you wanted to?"
"I guess."
"My, my, you don't sound very pleased at all."
"I'm hungry. I only had some tea. When will we get back?"
Whis chuckled to himself. "In precisely 27 minutes. But don't worry, I had Bulma send some sushi, so dinner is ready to go immediately."
"Fantastic," Beerus said with little emotion. "And make sure you keep an eye on Shin from now on. I feel like I almost died today even though nothing happened."
"Of course."
"Why didn't you wake me last time? He said he might have died if he didn't have an attendant looking out for him – an attendant that wasn't you."
"My lord, it's not my duty to attend to your other half. I am here solely for your benefit."
Beerus let out a small growl. "It is to my benefit that Shin keeps breathing."
"I suppose so, but as I said, that's not actually my role."
"Well, I think it should be. It's not unreasonable to say that if my life is indirectly in danger through a life link then you should wake me up and let me know about it."
"If that's the kind of service you want, then I'll make sure I keep tabs as you've requested."
Beerus sighed. "Sometimes I feel like you just don't care, Whis."
Whis smiled to himself. "Sometimes I do."
ooo
"Lord Beerus, you have a visitor," Whis announced.
Beerus had been meditating on the subject of the Tournament of Power, and had asked not to be disturbed. He cracked open an eye to see who Whis could possibly deem important enough to interrupt him.
A respectable distance away stood Shin, looking around at the interesting surroundings of Beerus's planet. He seemed to be alone.
Beerus sighed and stood up. He stretched, having realised he'd been sitting in that same position for possibly hours now.
"Like what you see?" Beerus asked.
"It's certainly an interesting design," Shin said as he gazed upon the giant tree Beerus called home.
"So, what brings you here?" Never had Shin stepped foot here before.
"Well, I wanted to hear your thoughts on this tournament – do you have a plan?"
"I've left it in Goku's hands," Beerus said as if it that was all that needed to be said.
Shin frowned. "As much as I believe in Goku's abilities, he doesn't have extensive knowledge of the universe. Surely we should be seeking out other powerful warriors in places Goku isn't aware of?"
"We don't have time for that. Besides, Goku's son said we should focus on teamwork. So, they should pick people they know."
Shin seemed to relax a little. "Yes, Gohan's right. I feel that in the end it will come down to the Saiyans. Lord Beerus, tell me truthfully, do you think they can win?"
There was a pause in which Beerus folded his arms and looked off into the distance. Truthfully, he wouldn't know how much of a chance they had until he sized up the competition for himself. Hell, he didn't even know who else Goku was going to pick besides Vegeta and Gohan.
"Yes, I think they can." He didn't want Shin to worry, and he wanted Shin to believe they could win so he could provide the Universe 7 team with all the encouragement he could muster.
"Well, aren't you going to show me around?" Shin asked to break the tension.
"Sure, I'll get Whis to give you the grand tour."
Just as Beerus was about to yell, Shin stopped him. "No, I asked if you would show me."
"I'm a bit busy, kid."
Shin raised a brow. "To me it looked like you needed a break from whatever you were thinking about."
"Fine."
Beerus grabbed Shin and threw him over his shoulder before flying at speed to what he considered to be the front door to his home.
Shin straightened himself out when he was returned to ground. "A bit of warning would have been nice."
Beerus took no notice. "This is where I live. It's nice to sit here and brood sometimes." He walked in and Shin followed after him. "This is where I eat and the kitchen is just through there." He pointed to a door.
Shin was surprised by how nice it all looked. The fish tank was certainly unexpected. "Why is the table broken?" It was the one thing that stood out from the otherwise immaculate surroundings.
"Err…I guess Whis didn't get round to it yet. Last time Grand Zeno called the table was on the receiving end of my bow. But at least I didn't pass out like some."
Shin felt heat in his cheeks at the memory, wishing he hadn't asked. "We'll all be at his mercy soon."
"Yes, that's why…" Beerus opened a cupboard and displayed row upon row of cup noodles. "If I'm going to be erased I might as well live like a king for the next few days."
Shin reached out, but Beerus slapped his hand away. "What? I just wanted to look. Besides, it's not like you can eat these all before the tournament."
Beerus shot him a look. "I think you'll find I can. And Whis eats just as much as me. In fact, I'm starting to think this might not be enough."
"Well, at least tell me the flavour."
"It just says 'spicy.'" Beerus gazed a little longer at his collection. "Ah, fuck it. I want a pot now." He hit the switch on the kettle that had been placed next to the cupboard for emergency snacks. Secretly he also wanted to show off the wonders of instant noodles to Shin.
"And then you just wait 3 minutes." Beerus sat there staring intently at the clock.
It was a silent 3 minutes, as if they were observing an ancient ritual. As soon as time was up, Beerus ripped off the lid and dug in immediately. Shin approached his with more care, realising that they were still extremely hot. He wondered if Beerus could have any taste buds left if he was shoving boiling food like this straight into his mouth. Before Shin got to the end of his pot, Beerus was already waiting on his second to be ready.
"So, what did you think? Was that not God's gift to man?"
"I suppose it was an ingenious invention, but perhaps a little spicy to me. But if you want God's gift, then…" Shin held out his hand and a new, unopened pot appeared in his palm.
Beerus's eyes widened and he picked up the pot and shook it to make sure there was something in it. "How…?"
Shin smiled. "Creation god." He conjured up another one. "There you go, it's as if we never took anything from the cupboard."
"What else can you make?" Beerus felt as if he had never really considered the powers of the Supreme Kai until now.
"Anything, as long as I know what it is."
A mischievous grin came over Beerus. He stood up and continued showing Shin around as he contemplated what else he could get the kai to make.
"This is my bathroom." Beerus opened the door and stepped in.
Shin wasn't sure such a room warranted being shown, but when he followed through he found that it wasn't what he would call a bathroom. The room had water flowing from the walls as well as a small fountain. Maybe Beerus should call it a spa.
Beerus took a chance to sneak a peek at the kai's expression as he turned to leave. It was novel having a visitor, and he was finding he quite enjoyed showing off his luxurious surroundings to others. Not that he would admit it, of course.
"Last on the grand tour for today – my room."
"Wow…it's huge."
"You know, you could build yourself something like this."
"As amazing as this place is, I think I'd ultimately prefer my simpler surroundings."
Beerus shrugged. He wasn't going to push the point – if the kai didn't want to compete with his living quarters then that was fine; he had enough with Champa trying to compete with him in terms of luxury.
"Anyway, I think it's about time for a nap. D'you reckon you could make me a really soft pillow?" This had been the best idea he could come up with.
Shin was taken aback. "A nap?! How long are you going to nap for? The tournament is only days away!"
"Chill out, it's only for a few hours. Whis knows I want to head back to Earth in time for their evening."
Shin still frowned.
"So, about that pillow?" Beerus asked as he climbed onto a bed. "Are you really going to refuse? Fine." He threw off the regalia around his neck. "What? Are you just going to wait there? Or were you expecting me to show you out? If you need help just call for Whis."
Beerus curled up and forgot about his guest. Seconds later a pillow hit him.
"I hope you sleep well."
"You sound jealous. Maybe you should take a nap too."
"Not with our potential doom hanging over us."
The rock the bed was on moved towards Shin, and Beerus leaned over and grabbed him, pulling him onto the round bed.
"Don't you feel safe enough? I said I'd protect you, right?"
Shin didn't want to answer that. He still wasn't completely at ease in Beerus' presence. "Whatever happens at the tournament, we'll be relying on the Earthlings to protect us both."
"Exactly. Out of our hands. Perfect time for a nap to forget about this whole shebang for a bit." Beerus scooted closer and nuzzled into Shin's lap. "This is comfy too."
Shin sighed. Now he was the pillow and he hadn't the courage to leave. Neither was he in any position to nap as Beerus had suggested. For a while he just sat there, arms folded, wondering if he would be able to replace his thighs with a pillow and get away with it.
Beerus shifted in his sleep and for some godforsaken reason Shin unconsciously started to stroke the back of Beerus's head, as if he had an actual cat in front of him. He didn't even notice he'd started doing it until he heard what sounded like a purr come from Beerus. His hand froze as he wondered how lost in thought he must have been to have done that, but before he could resume his position with arms folded neatly away, Beerus pushed back into his hand. Well, it couldn't hurt to continue, he thought, so long as the destroyer was asleep and unaware of what Shin considered to be an awfully embarrassing scene.
Yet despite his initial refusal, Shin was beginning to find it quite relaxing. This massive room with its dark cave-like quality was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and dimly lit in a way that invited sleep. Without windows, the outside world could be forgotten in here, and with one of the most terrifying beings in the universe curled up in his lap, what else was there to think about out there. If he were anyone else he would no doubt have been sweating buckets, but here was his life-linked partner snoozing away after promising to protect him. Shin smiled at this strange day.
"My lords, it's time to wake up."
Shin was a light sleeper and woke immediately at Whis's words. So, he had given in to sleep after all. And somehow…he was being held like some kind of teddy bear by Beerus. Carefully he began to move out of Beerus's hold.
"Please, use as much force as necessary," Whis said. "My goal is to wake him, after all."
Just as Shin had removed himself entirely, Beerus's hand shot out and grabbed him by the wrist, trying to drag him back. Whis tapped the stray hand with his staff.
"Lord Beerus, it's time to get up."
Beerus withdrew his hand and rolled over so his back was to the pair.
"Is he always like this?" Shin asked.
"I would think something was wrong if I asked less than 3 times. Please cover your ears for the next one."
Shin did as he was told and was surprised to hear that Whis could shout so loud. This time Beerus let out a groan and pulled the covers over his head.
"Come on, we know you're awake," Whis said.
Another groan.
"Could you tempt him with some noodles?" Shin asked.
"I suppose. I do prefer harsher methods. He won't learn otherwise. It really is like training a cat."
Beerus made a noise at that and some mumbling came after.
"What was that? We can't hear you. Anyway, sir, would you like to see the photo I took before I woke you up?"
Suddenly the covers were thrown away and Beerus was grabbing Whis by the scruff of his neck.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Ho, ho, ho," Whis laughed. "My, my, that certainly got you up."
Beerus stared hard at Whis, his voice almost a low growl as he asked, "Does that photo exist, Whis?"
"Oh, I couldn't resist! Bulma gave me such an interesting Earth invention called a camera." Whis held out his arm and aimed it at the pair of them, capturing a funny selfie, and deftly moving it out of the way of the blast Beerus sent towards it.
"Whis," Beerus said warningly. "Give me that device."
"No, it was a gift. I'm enjoying it immensely."
"Whis."
Everything then happened very fast. The pair began to move, the camera Whis had been holding was in Shin's lap, and shortly after a hole appeared in the wall, through which Beerus had shoved Whis. The sound of fighting drifted in through it while Shin sat there, not sure if now was the time to leave before he was caught in the crossfire.
He looked down at the camera and tried a few buttons. It wasn't that he didn't trust Whis, but truthfully, he wanted the photo gone as much as Beerus did. After accidentally taking a few photos of the floor he found himself looking through the photos stored on the device. There was a photo of Bulma and a surprised Whis, followed by lots of photos of food. It seemed that Whis had taken a photo of every dish he'd had on Earth. Then he was looking through selfies of Whis taken at various angles and at different locations. Finally he came across the photo of himself and Beerus. He blushed at the sight of it. They looked quite cute curled up together like that, but god was it embarrassing seeing himself like this. No one else needed to see this. Quickly he pressed the button that looked like a bin. But there were more. Whis had taken a few at different angles. He got to work deleting them all until he got to the selfie he'd just seen Whis take.
"SHIIIIIIN!"
Not a moment too soon. Beerus was hurtling towards him, then colliding and sending them both crashing to the floor. Beerus pinned him down and Shin winced.
"Where's the camera?"
Shin tried to wiggle his arm. Somehow in that moment he'd gripped onto the camera so strongly he hadn't dropped it during the collision.
"Wait!" Shin pleaded. "I deleted all the photos. You don't have to destroy it."
Beerus let out a loud laugh. "Of course I do! I'm the God of Destruction!" He took the camera and was about to crush it when he felt it being stolen from his hand.
"No! I can't believe you deleted the photos!" Whis cried. "I was going to have the best one framed and caption it with something akin to 'Beerus has a friend.'"
"Ha! Your plan was foiled!" Beerus stood up, still trying to reach for the camera, but with less enthusiasm this time.
"Let's stop this, Lord Beerus. We need to make a move soon, so you need to eat, lest you be hungry on the way." Whis slipped the camera into a pocket and it was soon forgotten about in the wake of thoughts of food.
Whis helped the Supreme Kai to his feet and the pair stood there righting themselves while Beerus picked out his shoes and regalia from the rubble, not that Whis looked at all as if he'd just been shoved through a wall.
"Well, I think I've overstayed my welcome," Shin said. "I should be off."
"Thanks for today," Beerus said, not expanding on what exactly he was thanking Shin for.
Shin nodded awkwardly and with a 'kai kai' was gone.
"Whis, we need to fix this place up. You know, he noticed the hole in the table."
"If you'd stop destroying it that would be fantastic."
"Hmph, if you wouldn't take photos of people sleeping that would be fantastic."
Whis pouted. "It was cute! He really brings out a soft side of you I don't see very often."
"Let's keep it that way – not very often. And certainly not on camera to be remembered."
"I think you should invite your other half round more often."
"Stop calling him that." Beerus tapped on the table as he waited for the kettle to boil.
"I say it as it is, my lord."
A/N: I'd like to thank the following posts for inspiring certain parts of this fic: post/171641768671/doodled-this-little-comic-based-off-my-tweet-from and post/153092061055/i-had-fun-with-this-and-thus-started-an-unlikely
And because I have no self-control I'm currently working on a nsfw fic of these two.
