"Well, this is nice, isn't it?" Whis said as he surveyed the fields of flowers and far-off trees.

"Yeah…" Beerus looked around, looking for something off about the place. "I wonder why they'd list it for destruction? Things are growing after all."

"My lord, let me tell you about the privileges given to Supreme Kais. They have access to an item known as a time ring." Whis gave a brief explanation. "It's possible that they have used this ring to see a future where this planet poses more problems than it's worth."

"Well, let's see if we can taste the –" Beerus paused, feeling a sensation he'd almost forgotten, waiting for the motion to pass. "The food." Before he could take a step he let out a sneeze. "How many centuries has it been since I sneezed?"

"I don't recall."

Another sneeze followed and Beerus looked concerned. "Whis…do gods get sick?"

"I…" He thought about it. "I don't think so." He'd never had an instance in all his years. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I don't know. My eyes are stinging and I feel like I need to sneeze again. Am I sick?"

Whis waved his staff over Beerus and peered into it, gaining the information he needed.

"What's the verdict, doctor Whis?" Beerus joked.

Knowing it was nothing serious, Whis decided to have some fun. "My lord… You might have god-flu."

Beerus's eyes widened. "God-flu?! What's that? A special flu only gods get?"

"I heard a Supreme Kai died from it once. I didn't think Gods of Destruction could get it."

"What?!" Beerus grabbed Whis's arms. "What am I going to do?" Another sneeze. "Help me, Whis! I'm getting sicker!"

"Don't worry, angels having healing powers. So much so that we can even bring the dead back to life!" At least this was a fun way to tell Beerus more about his abilities.

"Well, do something quick!"

Whis tapped Beerus on the head with his staff. "All done!"

Beerus didn't feel any different, but his trust in Whis was absolute. Until he sneezed again. "Whis! It didn't work!"

"I'll have to use something stronger." He placed a finger on the tip of Beerus's nose. "Is this where you're the most pained?"

"Well duh!"

Whis leaned in a placed a kiss on the very tip of his nose. "A mother's kiss is the strongest magic in healing a child, you know."

Beerus never believed that. And he certainly wouldn't when the next sneeze came along as they walked through the field.

"I can't believe I'm going to die from the flu," Beerus lamented.

"I'm sure you'll live, my lord."

"Whis, let's just destroy this planet and go home."

He was powerful enough now to do it in one blast. It still took a lot of effort, and he'd certainly spend all of tomorrow sleeping because of it.

"Are you feeling better?" Whis asked as they landed back home.

"Maybe. Are there other symptoms of god-flu? I think the sneezing has stopped now."

It had been a good run, and Whis had thoroughly enjoyed watching Beerus worry about his health, but it was time to come clean. "No. You're fine, my lord. I couldn't help but wind you up earlier."

"Huh?"

"There's no such thing as god-flu."

Beerus was about to get angry. "But what was all the sneezing about then?!"

"It appears that we were in the presence of a very potent pollen-producing plant. You reacted to it was all. And once you destroyed the planet and had ridden home you were no longer affected by it."

"Why weren't you sneezing then?"

Whis shrugged. "Angel immunity, I guess. You see, gods won't get sick from things that kill mortals, but you can still be affected by physiological things – too much pollen in your airways causing you to sneeze, or coughing because you choked on some water. I'm sure you could even over-eat to the point of vomiting. Well maybe not you, you seem to be able to eat as much as you like without limit."

"So, you lied to me?"

"You have to have some fun. And trust me, it was very fun to watch."

"You!" Beerus pointed at Whis, unsure what he wanted to say. "I'll get you back for this! Now bring me some food to make up for the lack of it on today's adventure."

Whis bowed and left the room. He looked forward to whatever prank Beerus would play on him.

Ooo

"Whis, can I just blow up a planet I don't like?" Beerus asked.

"I suppose you could. Just know you might have to justify it to the Supreme Kais if it was something they were working on." Whis took out the biscuits they'd acquired today. "Did planet Suna not please you?"

"Not really." He rolled his shoulders. "You might have enjoyed their massage technique, but I didn't."

Whis slipped a hand beneath the regalia around Beerus's neck, pressing the tips of his fingers into the muscle. "Would you like me to fix that for you?"

Beerus removed Whis's hand. "No."

Whis was taken aback by Beerus's short answer. "Perhaps you'd prefer to go to a tried and tested –"

"No. I'm… I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me in a few hours."

"My lord, is everything okay?" He couldn't believe that a sub-par massage could put Beerus in such a bad mood.

"Yeah," he lied. "I just want to be alone."

"Ah, I see."

Beerus knew what Whis was thinking, but that wasn't why he wanted to be alone. Still, maybe he would rub one out before a nap – it always made him sleep better. If he could get his thoughts in order before Whis came to fetch him.

He kicked off his shoes and threw off his regalia. He kept his gold on though, having become accustomed to the weight of it, feeling ungrounded without it. Once he'd pounded his pillow into shape he laid back and stared up at the ceiling and gave a long sigh.

Whis… Beerus pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Why? What was that all about earlier? God he didn't want to think about it, but he had to. There had been one too many instances now.

Like that time a friendly shop owner had put his arm around Whis's shoulder, and he had reached up and silently removed that arm. The time they'd visited the touchy-feely planet where the waitress had kissed them both goodbye and he'd felt something he hadn't been able to explain at the time. And then today. When they were in the massage parlour and Whis was moaning in the way he only did when he tasted something particularly delicious. That's when he realised what it was.

Jealousy. He wanted to be the one making Whis elicit those noises. He wanted to be the one casually touching Whis in public. But why should he be jealous? He had Whis to himself most days, and it's not like Whis didn't let him fall asleep in his lap sometimes. What if he offered to massage Whis for once? To give instead of receive? Would that solve his strange jealousy? Could it be that he was simple feeling bad that he wasn't being as generous as he could be?

Yes, a good plan! He rolled onto his side, about to fall off the bed, but he stopped himself. Not today. Maybe in a few days. What else could he do? Whis was not a very needy person after all. Perhaps it didn't have to be physical. It could be something like helping in the kitchen. Something that would make Whis smile when he offered.

Beerus began making a mental list of things, mumbling things to himself as he did so. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the doors to his room open and he scrambled to sit up, as if he had something to hide.

"Sorry, did I interrupt?" Whis asked, already moving back outside.

"No, no. I'm coming."

"Didn't you sleep?" The sound of the door wouldn't be enough to rouse Beerus if he had been.

Beerus shrugged. "Turns out I wasn't tired."

Whis raised a brow, never knowing his lord to skip a nap like this. "I never asked if you wanted dinner in or out."

It was as if the opportunity was being handed to him on a plate, but Beerus decided it would be even more suspicious to offer help with dinner tonight. "Let's go out."

Ooo

"Who the fuck is that?" Beerus held up a hand for Whis to stop sparring with him.

"I'm impressed you noticed," Whis said. "Although I don't know if I should be concerned that you're not concentrating on your training."

"You should be happy that I can notice disturbances in ki on this planet." He looked around to the direction he felt it coming from. "Maybe you should be impressed if I can sense angel ki from so far away."

"I didn't think you'd even mastered sensing mine." Whis looked over.

As the angel came closer Beerus realised he recognised him. This was the one who had sighed when his destroyer had been erased. But he was also memorable for his strong jawline and cheekbones you could cut yourself on.

"A pleasure to see you, brother," Whis said, "And your new destroyer." He bowed and it took Beerus a moment to realise to whom he did so.

Following Whis's line of sight, Beerus realised that the angel wasn't alone, and that there was a short mouse man, about half the angel's height, standing next to him. "Did you invite them?" Beerus asked, looking up at Whis with a frown.

"Of course not. I wasn't aware my brother was allowing Universe 4's new destroyer to visit others yet."

Cognac gave a strained smile. "My apologies, Lord Beerus, but Lord Quitela has insisted on visiting each universe's destroyer."

"Uh huh, seems like a trait Universe 4 has." Maybe this Quitela guy could replace Meed. "But like I said to the previous destroyer, call ahead first." Of course, Cognac wasn't the angel present to hear those words.

"Come on, Beerus," Quitela piped up. "Isn't it more fun to have unexpected visitors?"

"No. I could have been sleeping. Or eating. I was eating the first time your predecessor visited. And I don't share."

"Jeez, who stepped on your tail today? Your brother wasn't nearly this cranky."

"He always was the nice one."

"Even invited me in for coffee."

Beerus realised that he hadn't known Champa was into coffee now. How long had it been since they'd visited each other? "Just because we're twins, doesn't mean I'm going to do the same."

"Twins?!" Quitela did a double-take. "You don't look it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Quitela went to pat Beerus's arm, but Beerus caught his wrist with surprising speed. "I just meant that you're quite trim, and your twin not so much. Muscles are hiding under all that weight he's carrying."

"Are you calling my brother fat?"

"I'm just saying that stash of sweets of his could use a little more sharing."

Beerus unhanded Quitela. "Well you've met me now. Call ahead next time."

"Come, Cognac," Quitela said, realising he'd been dismissed. "Universe 8 awaits."

Beerus watched as they disappeared in a flash of light, unsure of how he felt about Quitela. He certainly had spunk, but Beerus didn't know if he liked that.

"My, my, you won't make any friends that way," Whis said. "It was just a bit too hostile for a first meeting."

"You said to put on an intimidating front when it came to other destroyers."

Whis nodded. "Yes, but you didn't need to grab him like that."

"Whatever. Let's resume where we left off."