Of Cats and Kitsunes

by S.P.3518

After Universe 7's miraculous victory in the Tournament of Power, a celebration is held. At the request of Bulma, Lord Beerus personally invites the other Gods of Destruction. In the process, he rekindles his best friendship with Lord Liquiir of Universe 8 and over the span of several days their relationship slowly evolves into something so much more than he ever dared to imagine.

9. Sweet Release

Hello, how are you all doing? Happy New Year! Here's to 2021 not sucking! I don't have much to say other than this: to the guest reviewer who asked me to add a lemon scene, I'm letting you and everyone else know that I will be writing about Beerus and Liquiir making love.

I'm not writing it here, but I will on Ao3 because Ao3 allows explicit material and on this site...technically not. It's everywhere on this site, so it's hard to believe, I know.

However, there are plenty of non-explicit things they can do. Things that are still very hot, steamy, and fun. Beerus and Liquiir will enjoy one such activity in this chapter.

Without any further ado, enjoy!

---

Sweet Release

---

Shocked silence is what has befallen our flight, but I understand why. As soon as I told Gohan and Piccolo my extremely important message regarding Whis, they just had to quiet themselves to think it over. Once they learn to accept my message, they will scream it on the rooftops for all to hear! Everyone will know what a bastard Whis is and petition for a new holiday! Or, they could go the realistic route and ask me what happened between us once they stop being uncomfortable.

Lord Beerus: "Piccolo, I have a question," I began, cutting through the silence. "Maybe you have an answer." And maybe we can kill this awkwardness while we're at it.

Piccolo: "What is it?"

Lord Beerus: "When a sparring match between Gohan and I was suggested, you seemed against the idea, but I got the impression that there was something deeper. Has something like this happened before?"

Piccolo: "Not exactly like this, but...it's a long story."

Lord Beerus: "We have time."

Piccolo: "Okay, if you insist. Years ago, we fought someone named Cell..."

---

So that's what it was. When Goku realized how much power Gohan had locked away, he decided right there that he was their best chance at defeating this Cell person. He was right, but he never accounted for Gohan becoming reluctant to fight at the worst possible time and threw him into battle without a second thought...and a senzu bean at Cell. I know he can be reckless and a moron, but that's mind boggling to think about. Gohan was literally his only chance to avoid complete annihilation and he was concerned with giving him a fair fight.

How stupid, as was not letting anyone know he had a plan in the first place and easing their worried sick minds. Apparently, he just stood and watched his son get his ass get kicked and probably with an idiotic grin the entire time. He was so confident that his plan would work and grossly misunderstood his son. Father of the century right there. Still, he appears to have vastly improved on his parenting skills, so at least he's not completely hopeless.

If I ever became a father, I wonder how I would do? I feel like I wouldn't be any good. But maybe, just maybe, I would make a good parent and with Liquiir there we could make some kid very happy. Perhaps someday, but that day won't be for a long time if it ever happens. I want to keep Liquiir all to myself for as long as I can.

Gohan: "Okay, Lord Beerus, my house is right there." Oh, good, that entire story took up the bulk of our travel time. I was worried that I'd be tortured with awkward silence once it was over. We gracefully landed at the front of the house. I'm keeping a few feet of distance between Gohan and Piccolo as we walk to the door.

After all of my many visits to Earth, Bulma's home is the only one I've spent any time at and it feels a little strange to be walking into someone else's. "Videl, we're home!" Gohan called out as he opened the door.

Videl: "I'm in the living room!" she responded back.

Gohan: "We'll be right there!" Why did they bother with that verbal exchange? Can Videl not sense Gohan's energy? That's news to me. Gohan and Piccolo are strolling toward the living room, talking about Gohan's growth from when they trained together for the very first time to now. It's difficult to think that he was a scared little kid just fighting to survive, but that's mostly everyone's origin story in one way or another.

My current story is that I'm lagging behind them and running my hand along the smooth surface of the wall. I can only imagine Videl's reaction once she sees me. I'm not worried that she'll freak out and tell me to leave. I know she would never do that. I just don't want to answer the inevitable question she'll ask and that's why I'm not rushing with excitement to the living room.

I sighed and picked up the pace. I'm being dramatic. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, it's not like she'll harp on Whis' whereabouts. I peeked my head around the corner to find everyone sitting on the couch and catching up with each other.

Videl: "And that was my day. Same old, same old. At least yours was exciting. You and your dad sure do take your training seriously, not that I'm surprised. It felt like we were having an earthquake over here. Isn't that right, Pan?" Pan, who's being held by Videl, laughed and babbled something in her baby language. Gohan laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

Gohan: "Funny you should say that. We did spar for a while, but I actually fought someone else."

Videl: "You did? I couldn't sense their energy, so I figured it was Goku. Was it Vegeta?" So she can sense energy.

Gohan: "No, it wasn't Vegeta. It was...it was Lord Beerus."

Videl: "What? Really? Why was he there?"

Gohan: "I...don't actually know." His eyes darted to my location for a brief second before returning to Videl. "Why don't you ask him yourself? He's hiding behind the wall there." He pointed me out and Videl quickly turned her head.

Videl: "Lord Beerus? What are...why are you being a peeping tom?"

Lord Beerus: "Oh, um..." I stepped out from behind the safety of the wall and placed my hands behind my back, trying to act cool. "No reason. Gohan was kind enough to invite me here after we sparred. So...here I am." She looked at Gohan and Piccolo and then back at me.

Videl: "Are you nervous about being in our house?"

Lord Beerus: "Of course not. Don't be foolish." Videl smiled.

Videl: "It's okay, we're all friends here. Why don't you come sit down with us?" Friends...yes. Yes, I...I think we are.

Lord Beerus: "I'm not nervous, but if it will make you feel better I'll join you lot." I made sure to keep a couch cushion worth of space between me and Videl as I took a seat. No, on second thought, this might be too much space. I closed half the distance.

Videl: "I don't know who acts tougher. You or Vegeta."

Lord Beerus: "My toughness isn't an act. It's all real."

Videl: "It may be real, but you have a soft side, too. If you weren't, you wouldn't have been so worried about you-know-who."

Lord Beerus: "That's...that's true. I can't deny that."

Videl: "Since you're doing a lot better than you were yesterday, I'm guessing that you-know-who is doing better?"

Lord Beerus: "Much better. We're..." I glanced over at Piccolo.

Piccolo: "Do you want me to leave?"

Lord Beerus: "If you would be so kind." Piccolo nodded and walked over to Videl. She promptly stood up and handed Pan over to him.

Piccolo: "If you need me, I'll be putting down Pan for a nap."

Videl: "Sounds like a plan. Good luck."

Piccolo: "Thanks. I think I'll need it." That's an ominous response for him to walk out to. "Let's try to take a nap today, Pan. Promise me that you won't make it hard," Piccolo's fading voice requested of the baby.

Videl: "She's at that stage where she hates taking naps," Videl said as she sat back down. "So, if you hear her screaming bloody murder soon, you'll know why."

Lord Beerus: "She hates taking naps? I didn't think that was possible. Sleeping is one of the greatest things you can possibly do."

Gohan: "I know, but she's a baby. It's what they do. Videl, do you remember when we started introducing solid foods to her?"

Videl: "How could I forget? She either kept throwing them, not wanting to eat, or she'd try flying away. I thought we had something with that blueberry that one time, but she shoved it up her nose."

Gohan: "I know. We had to get a pair of tweezers and dig it out of there." What's going on here? Since when have I ever shown an interest in talking about grabbing a piece of fruit from their kid's nose?

Lord Beerus: "You two think that I'd rather talk about digging things out of a baby's nose than talking about Liquiir because...why exactly?" They looked at each other, embarrassed, and laughed.

Gohan: "Whoops. Sorry about that. Sometimes we go on tangents about Pan without meaning to."

Lord Beerus: "I could tell."

Gohan: "Anyway, back to Liquiir. You were just telling us that he's doing okay again?"

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir's doing amazingly. Furthermore, I righted my wrong and completed his courtship ritual. We're going to have a life mate ceremony."

Videl: "Aw, you are? When?"

Lord Beerus: "We haven't decided yet. We didn't get the chance to discuss such details."

Videl: "You didn't get the chance? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Lord Beerus: "That depends...what do you think I'm saying?"

Videl: "I think you're saying that you two wasted no time with...you know. Having sex."

Lord Beerus: "Really? That's what you believe happened?"

Gohan: "The way you said it did make it sound like you two had sex."

Lord Beerus: "Get your minds out of the gutter. I realize now that I did word it poorly. Although, to be fair, I did want to have sex with him and we were a bit initmate. It wasn't anything too intimate, though." If you count licking and nibbling his neck and grinding against his crotch as not being that intimate.

Videl: "But he wanted to wait?"

Lord Beerus: "Yes. He wanted to wait until after the life mate ceremony. I understood and so we fell asleep together. Once we woke up, he had to tend to his universe and he left. That's all that happened."

Videl: "Since he wanted to wait, does that mean he's a virgin?"

Gohan: "Videl! There are some things we just don't ask," Gohan said, flabbergasted.

Videl: "Gohan, you know that you were thinking the same thing," she accused.

Gohan: "No...I wasn't." Yes, you were. "Even if I was, we still keep things like that to ourselves." I quietly sighed. Is she letting her friendship with me go to her head? Or has she always been this daring?

Lord Beerus: "I will not divulge that information," I said, getting their attention. "However, if you're still feeling bold, you can ask him the next time you see him."

Videl: "Maybe I will, but something tells me that I don't really have to." It looks Gohan has his own cheeky bastard. That's not right, she's a woman. That would make her a cheeky bit-no. I'm not finishing that word. I respect my mom too much. "Okay, you're right. I shouldn't have asked something like that. I'm sorry, Lord Beerus."

Lord Beerus: "It's fine. I'm sure Liquiir will get a laugh out of it just the same." Videl smiled.

Videl: "I'm sure he will. So, how about this question? Keep in mind that most couples do this. When you say that you and Liquiir 'fell asleep together', do you mean that you two cuddled?" Gohan doesn't look thrilled about this question either, but he's holding his peace.

Lord Beerus: "You are really squeezing me for any details, aren't you? Well, if you must know, we did. Not that I'm surprised, but I discovered that...that..." I looked down bashfully. Should I finish my thought? I would prefer to avoid sounding like I'm one of those lovesick people who always say the strangest things about their significant other. Even my cheeks feel like someone could fry eggs on them if they wanted a quick breakfast. Actually, I haven't eaten yet today, so food does sound good.

Videl: "What did you discover?" she eagerly asked, completely ignoring my uncomfortable demeanor. I looked up at her and sighed again, through my nose this time. I just know that she would pester me if I didn't tell her. Perhaps that's a silver lining, ironically enough. If I ever want to spew my feelings about Liquiir at someone other than him, she'll be my go-to person.

Lord Beerus: "Since you're practically bouncing up and down with enthusiasm to learn, I'll be nice and tell you. But first...Gohan, I need to send you away like I did with Piccolo. Could you go to another room? You could check on Pan and see if Piccolo got her to take that nap." He nodded.

Gohan: "Okay, I'll do that. I was just thinking about checking on them anyway." He looked down at himself. "I'll need to change my clothes and take a shower first, though." He got up and I listened as he left the room. His footsteps are growing fainter and fainter and...they're gone. Now I can safely reveal my embarrassing feelings to only one person.

Lord Beerus: "What I discovered...was that...his weight feels very comfortable on top of me. Not only that, it also feels..." I fidgeted with my paws, trying to find the right words.

Videl: "Right?" she finished for me as if she's had the exact train of thought before. In fact, I guarantee that she has. I stopped my fidgeting and gave her a small nod. Such a simple word, yet it means everything. I don't think any other would convey my feelings better.

Lord Beerus: "Yes." I looked back down at my lap. I can't believe I said something that personal. I'm filled with so much regret I don't know what to do with it all.

Videl: "Aw...that's so cute and sweet." I raised my head.

Lord Beerus: "I know, it's adorable. It's as sweet as sugar. Don't you dare tell anyone else."

Videl: "I promise. I won't tell anyone what you just told me."

Lord Beerus: "Thank you. Could I also trouble you for something to eat?"

Videl: "I was planning on making something for Gohan and Piccolo when they got back. I can make something for you, too."

Lord Beerus: "Could you make an omelette for me?"

Videl: "I can try. I've never made an omelette before.

Lord Beerus: "You made that delicious cake at the party. I have faith in you."

Videl: "Thank you," she said while standing up. "I'll talk to you later."

Lord Beerus: "Wait! Before you go and before I forget, the reason I'm here is because I wanted to spend more time on Earth. I'm planning on staying here. Not your house, the planet."

Videl: "Did something happen or this a spur of the moment kind of thing?" She thought for a second. "Where's Whis?" There's the inevitable question.

Lord Beerus: "I gave Whis a two week vacation."

Videl: "A two week vacation? He must have done something to really upset you." She doesn't beat around the bush. "I'll ask Gohan anyway, but I'm fine with you staying here."

Lord Beerus: "You would do that for me?"

Videl: "We have plenty of room and you're our friend. It's no problem." Being called a friend so casually will take some getting used to.

Lord Beerus: "Thank you."

Videl: "Don't worry about it." I rested my head against the back of the couch as she walked away and closed my eyes. She's such a kind person, and I hate thinking this, but I can't shake the idea that she'll more than likely butcher my omelette. I want to have faith in her, but this is going to be the first omelette she's ever cooked. I don't expect high quality on her first try. If she were an anime protagonist she'd prove me wrong and put all of those restaurant chefs who made me omelettes before to shame.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to the right. There's a couple of pillows at the end of the couch. I don't have anything better to do, so I'll take a quick nap. I took one of the pillows and placed it at the opposite end, laying my feet on that one and my head on the other. I rolled on my right side and, with the wonderful image of Liquiir sleeping on top of me, as well as the slightly less wonderful thought of me eating an omelette, closed my eyes.

---

Mm...it feels like someone put a blanket on me or a big pillow behind my body...how long has it been there? It's soft...and warm...and floofy. I instinctively snuggled up against it, trying to get as much as the softness and warmth as I can. It feels so...familiar. Without opening my eyes I lazily moved my paw around, eventually finding...an arm draped around me and a paw on my stomach.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir...is that you?" I said sleepily, taking the paw which obviously belongs to him in mine. Now that my body is waking up, I think he has his other arm under my head and letting me use it as a pillow. I enjoy this, being the slightly smaller spoon. That's good to know. I wasn't so sure I'd be comfortable being like this.

Lord Liquiir: "Shh...Liquiir is sleeping with his favorite pillow."

Lord Beerus: "How long has Liquiir been sleeping with Beerus, his favorite pillow?"

Lord Liquiir: "A while now. Liquiir's lost track."

Lord Beerus: "How long are Beerus and Liquiir going to keep talking in the third person?"

Lord Liquiir: "It's hard to say. How long is Beerus going to wait until he kisses Liquiir?" I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "That's easy to say. Liquiir doesn't need to wait for Beerus to kiss him anymore." I rolled over to my other side and slipped my arms around his waist. Once I did that I gave him a short and sweet kiss on the lips. I'll make sure to do something less chaste when we don't have as much talking to do first. "Hello." He smiled.

Lord Liquiir: "Hello."

Lord Beerus: "I thought you said that you had a lot of work to do."

Lord Liquiir: "I did, but a lot of work for me doesn't necessarily fit your definition of a lot work." That's very true. Since his universe is so well off, I doubt he has to do much actual work. Then there's me and my struggling universe. Assuming I did actual work, I would be up to my neck in it. That reminds me, maybe I should schedule a meeting with Shin and come up with a plan to begin the restoration process.

Lord Beerus: "I'm just glad that I didn't have to wait forever before seeing you again," I replied. "I missed you and your perfect ass." I cupped said perfect ass and squeezed it, making his hips jerk forward. I know he didn't mean for it to happen, but his crotch hit mine in a quick humping motion. Dry humping...I don't know if it's allowed before the ceremony, but it's something I haven't done in a long time. I'll ask him about it because I believe I just found the not so chaste thing I'd like to try. I think that as if what I just did is the picture of innocence.

Lord Liquiir: "Who's the cheeky bastard supposed to be again, Beerus?" he asked while squeezing my perfect ass with just as much enthusiasm.

Lord Beerus: "Predominantly you, but there's no law saying I can't be one sometimes. But if you don't mind, let's get serious."

Lord Liquiir: "Not at all. We have a lot to...hold on, let's sit and talk. We can save the squeezing for later."

Lord Beerus: "If you insist." Just as well. We wouldn't have been able to focus on anything else. Least of all talking about the important things.

Lord Liquiir: "As I was saying," he continued as soon as we sat up. "We have a lot to talk about."

Lord Beerus: "We most certainly do. The life mate ceremony, one of the most important things in Kitsunian culture." My smile disappeared. "I imagine it's something nearly all Kitsunians dream of." The first and most important step is the courtship ritual, which should go perfectly. It may have been a case of culture clash, but the fact remains that I still ruined it and the consequences for my ignorance was severe. I stood up and somberly walked to the center of the room.

Lord Liquiir: "Are you okay, Beerus? What's wrong?" I looked back at him.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, before we talk about the life mate ceremony, there's something else I need to ask you first. I would understand if you don't want to talk about it."

Lord Liquiir: "What is it?" He asked concerningly with an appropriate amount of caution mixed in.

Lord Beerus: "Heles...she..." I looked away from him and stared at the wall. I don't want to ask him this. I just want to leave this in the past forever. But I have a sick curiosity that needs to be satisfied. I walked back to the couch and sat down, taking his paw in mine. "When Heles was telling me about what was going on with you, she said that you were suicidal because I accidentally rejected you. She made it sound common that Kitsunians killed themselves if they get rejected. Is that true? And were you thinking about it?" Liquiir looked down and closed his eyes.

Lord Liquiir: "Heles was describing the most extreme and the very worst case scenario. Yes, my people are known to commit suicide if we are rejected. However, that's not very common and it was never my intention to do so." He uncomfortably pulled at his pants and opened his eyes. He's still not looking at me, though. I don't think he can bring himself to do it. "I did say that dying sounded like a good idea. I am aware of that. Still, the thought only manifested after...after seeing you again." I lightly flinched at that. "Even then, I wasn't sure I was going to go through with that idea. I wasn't sure of a lot of things at that time. My original plan was to simply grieve and eventually accept my rejection. I would never have truly moved on, but I would have accepted it." He raised his head and softly smiled at me. It's sincere.

Lord Beerus: "Why are you smiling? I don't think this is the kind of conversation you'd smile over."

Lord Liquiir: "In a strange way, I'm happy that we're able to talk about this at all. I'm happy that we can be completely open with each other. I love you so much, Beerus." I smiled and kissed him on the lips. I think I understand why Gohan announced his presence to Videl when we got here. As overused as this saying is, communication is key.

Lord Beerus: "I love you, too. I'd do anything for you, Liquiir. If you haven't, you might as well find the time to thank Heles for telling me everything. And even Korn for letting me see you. If it weren't for them, who knows what would have happened? And you know, it sounds like Heles intentionally exaggerated your condition to induce drastic action from me."

Lord Liquiir: "I don't think that she did. Not on purpose anyway. I believe that she was merely speculating how far gone I was into my own pit of depression and where my journey would end. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't matter. With this discussion out of the way, we can finally move on and enjoy the rest of our lives together." I reached under his regalia and placed both of my paws on the tuft of fur on his chest. I waited a couple of seconds before running my fingers through it. As we locked eyes he put both of his paws on mine, causing me to stop.

Lord Beerus: "I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do...but this is a close second." I very violently began ruffling his fur like a madman.

Lord Liquiir: "Hey!" He grabbed my wrists and spread my arms apart to get me to stop. He's laughing a little, so he can't be too mad. I leaned forward and kissed him.

Lord Beerus: "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," I told him, chuckling to myself. It's like he just got out of bed. Not bed head, but...bed chest? I'll work on that. He let go of me, trusting me with my hands again.

Lord Liquiir: "I thought you were trying to be sweet and romantic, but you just wanted to make a mess out of my fur. Do you have any idea how long it takes to brush this?"

Lord Beerus: "Not at all. How long does it take?"

Lord Liquiir: "Long enough, you...fur messer-upper. You've ruined my floof."

Lord Beerus: "Okay. Let me fix it." I'm just going to rub it back down and- "Fuck!" I cried out, jerking back my paw. "I shocked myself."

Lord Liquiir: "Ha! That serves you right." He quickly smoothed down his fur to the best of his abilities, but without a brush it's still kind of messy.

Lord Beerus: "Okay. I think we've gone on long enough without talking about what we really need to talk about: the life mate ceremony." Liquiir's smile has grown to epic proportions.

Lord Liquiir: "I couldn't agree more. It makes me excited just thinking about it. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is a dream come true."

Lord Beerus: "That's no surprise. I bet you've already thought of all of the details."

Lord Liquiir: "I wouldn't say all of them. Just most of them."

Lord Beerus: "Well, before you explode with excitement, why don't you tell me what they are? Let's start with how big you want it."

Lord Liquiir: "The ceremonies are usually not very big. They're small, about twenty to thirty people."

Lord Beerus: "That's it? When you said 'small' I was thinking one hundred people. That's microscopic."

Lord Liquiir: "My culture celebrates closeness and familiarity, which means the people we invite are only those we trust and care about." I shrugged.

Lord Beerus: "Fine with me. I don't need a huge celebration to show my love for you. In fact, it'll be better this way because I won't have to deal with trying to make up small talk to people I barely know. 'Hello, uncle. I haven't seen you since I was three. That was millions of years ago. How have you been?'"

Lord Liquiir: "You have an uncle?"

Lord Beerus: "No, my mom was an only child."

Lord Liquiir: "Why did you make up an uncle? Why didn't you use someone real?"

Lord Beerus: "It was the first thing that popped into my head. Don't think about it too hard. Don't strain that pretty little head of yours." I rubbed one of his ears affectionately. He did the same to me.

Lord Liquiir: "Aw, stop trying to charm my pants off."

Lord Beerus: "No, I don't think I will."

Lord Liquiir: "Well, with or without pants, I know who I'm going to invite. Who are you going to invite?"

Lord Beerus: "My mom, without a doubt. I'm basically forced to invite Champa. Um...the list of people I consider myself close to is more microscopic than microscopic, so who else is there?"

Videl: "Lunch is ready!" Videl called out from down the hallway. Liquiir and I stopped petting each other and I turned my head. She appeared in the entrance of the room shortly after, but she's not walking in. "Lunch is ready, guys." I nodded.

Lord Beerus: "Thank you for telling us."

Videl: "Don't mention it. I made you an omelette, just like you asked. I hope you like it. Now I just have to let Gohan and Piccolo know that everything's done." She left to go find them.

Lord Liquiir: "An omelette? I've never had that before. Maybe we can share, it sounds good." I looked at him, surprised.

Lord Beerus: "You really want to put this on hold when we finally have a chance to talk? I'm not saying no, but I think it's odd that you don't mind." He smiled.

Lord Liquiir: "I'm not going to turn into some kind of obsessive monster who will force us to spend all of our time planning. We don't need to rush. Plus, you asked her to make food for you. It would be incredibly rude of me to keep you from eating." I put my paw on my stomach.

Lord Beerus: "Right. I didn't eat anything this morning. That's why I asked."

Lord Liquiir: "I had a feeling. You rushed out of my universe after you talked to Whis, just as I rushed to get all of my work done." So he knows I talked to Whis. He probably heard me yelling at him.

Lord Beerus: "I'm guessing that you're just as hungry as I am?"

Lord Liquiir: "That's a good joke. I could never be as hungry as you." I lightly pushed him by his shoulder.

Lord Beerus: "Be quiet." He laughed.

Lord Liquiir: "In all seriousness, I am hungry. I barely had anything this morning and I can't talk about the life mate ceremony on an empty stomach."

Lord Beerus: "That makes two of us."

---

I can't say I'm shocked about the seating arrangement. Gods are on one side of the table and mortals the other. Liquiir is on my right and Korn is on his. Pan is across from me, eating her peas, corn, and chopped carrots, and Videl is on her left and Gohan on hers. Wanting to meditate and be alone, Piccolo has decided not to join us.

What I never could've expected was this. Videl didn't just make an omelette for me. She made one for everybody, although it is worth noting that mine's the biggest. Even Liquiir and Korn got an omelette. Just how long ago did they get here before Liquiir decided to snuggle up to me?

Moving on, she gave us all a bowl of tomato soup to go with the omelette and - this is very interesting - a cup of iced tea. Until now I've never had iced tea. I knew about it, but I always thought the concept was ridiculous. I regret not trying it sooner because now I don't know if I like hot or cold tea better. Either way, it's delicious.

As for the omelette, I was right. She's no anime protagonist. Now there's a thought...who would be the anime protagonist of our world? Probably Goku. With the way he achieved and completed Ultra Instinct so quickly, he stinks of plot armor.

Videl: "Are you okay? You look like you're thinking hard about something." I looked up.

Lord Beerus: "What? No, I...I'm not. Not really."

Videl: "All right. How's the omelette, everyone?" Everybody, including me, told her that it's good. It's not the best I've had. Truthfully, I've only eaten omelettes made by professional chefs, which makes this the worst in comparison. She still did an excellent job for never having made one before and I could have seconds or thirds. I would ask Liquiir if he's still open to the idea of sharing since he suggested it, but he's enjoying it so much that I don't think he'd want to. "That's good. You can thank Beerus. If he didn't ask for one I never would have made any at all." I stopped moments before I could take another bite and set down my chopsticks on my plate.

Lord Beerus: "Videl, did you drop the 'Lord' from my name?"

Videl: "I thought I could because we're...I'll keep it in if you want me to." That's right...getting comfortable with the idea that we're friends is going to be harder than thought. I shook my head.

Lord Beerus: "No...no, forget I said anything. Friends shouldn't have to be formal with one other." I looked at Liquiir. "Isn't that right?" He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "I believe that being friendly to everyone and not acting so uptight and hellbent on following 'Proper protocol' will make your life easier. I'm not saying to ignore it completely, but a lot of times it's not absolutely necessary. Like having lunch with our friends." Korn nodded approvingly.

Korn: "Very well said." He observed the strange reddish liquid in his spoon before bringing it to his mouth and sipping it in a very modest and controlled manner. If he was like Whis all of the soup would already be gone. Why are they so different from each other? They were raised the same way, weren't they? Then again, individuality is a thing, which explains why Champa and I are so different.

Gohan: "Did you teach him that, Korn?"

Korn: "No, his parents did a fine job of that themselves. I merely reinforced their teachings." Korn looked at Liquiir. "However, there were a few...habits he picked up that needed to be attended to." Liquiir smiled cheekily.

Lord Liquiir: "Such as?"

Korn: "Such as incessant pranking."

Lord Liquiir: "There's nothing wrong with being a little mischievous."

Korn: "My tongue wishes to disagree from when you put salt in my tea instead of sugar."

Lord Beerus: "As does mine. I still don't entirely trust you around my tea."

Lord Liquiir: "Can you blame me? It's prank 101. It's a classic."

Videl: "He's right." We all looked at her. "It is. It's a classic."

Lord Beerus: "It's a classic pain in the ass. And yes, I can and will blame you."

Lord Liquiir: "But it's still a classic and for good reason. It's simple and yet effective."

Lord Beerus: "Like your brain." Liquiir put his paw over his heart and feigned offense.

Lord Liquiir: "Oh! How dare you! If we were in a sexual relationship, you just lost that privilege tonight, mister." We both burst out laughing. A moment later Gohan and Videl joined in. Korn is smiling, which is an unexpected sight. Pan is laughing, too, but of course she doesn't know what's so funny. It took a few seconds for everyone, chiefly pan, to quiet down.

Lord Beerus: "In all seriousness, that would be a good punishment for me."

Lord Liquiir: "It would be a good punishment for me as well." I glanced over at Videl. I think that answers your question about whether he's a virgin or not. She gave me a look of understanding and nodded. I took a sip of my tea, which tastes normal and not salty. I set it down and looked at Korn.

Lord Beerus: "Korn, what other habits did you need to get him to break?"

Korn: "He also often shapeshifted into various creatures or even other people to play practical jokes on me and others."

Lord Beerus: "I remember. It was very annoying." Gohan and Videl looked at him in astonishment.

Gohan: "You can shapeshift?"

Lord Liquiir: "Guilty as charged, although I never do it anymore. As with physical pranks - for the most part - I outgrew that phase long ago. These days I limit my jokes to the spoken variety."

Videl: "What or who did you shapeshift into to prank people? Did you ever shapeshift into a regular fox?"

Lord Liquiir: "You would think I would, but no. That idea never appealed to me. I shapeshifted into the Grand Priest to scare Korn."

Lord Beerus: "This is news to me. You impersonated the Grand Priest of all people?"

Lord Liquiir: "I did. I told Korn that Lord Zeno was upset with how he was raising me as a God of Destruction and that he should prepare to be erased soon. It worked for a split second before the Grand Priest showed up to ask me to immediately stop and never do it again. He was nice about it and I think he thought it was funny, but I knew I had to listen to him."

Korn: "He says it worked, but it did not. I was not fooled."

Lord Liquiir: "I'll never forget how you looked. You looked scared."

Korn: "I don't believe so. Perhaps that's something your young and, frankly, naive mind imagined."

Lord Liquiir: "That's a possibility. I was very young and very stupid."

Gohan: "And mean. I have to be honest, that didn't sound like a prank. It sounded cruel." Liquiir pursed his lips and slowly nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "It was. Sometimes I went too far and too dark for the sake of comedy. On a funnier note, I shapeshifted into Beerus when all of the Destroyers and Kais were at a meeting and yelled 'I have a huge crush on Cus and Liquiir is the smartest, cutest, and most handsome person in the multiverse.'" I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "I was pissed off when you did that, but as irony would have it, I do think two of those things are true now."

Lord Liquiir: "Only two?"

Lord Beerus: "I'm not going to lie and say you're the smartest. You're withholding all of that nonexistent sex we're having."

Lord Liquiir: "That's fair."

Videl: "So if it's not Liquiir, who is the smartest person in the multiverse? Is it the Grand Priest?"

Korn: "My father is indeed incredibly knowledgeable. However, there is one being in the multiverse who boasts omniscience. Or so it's said. She doesn't talk to people she doesn't know."

Videl: "Then why do people say she's omniscient?"

Lord Beerus: "Rumors. You know how it goes. They spin out of control. People say 'She lives on a book planet and spends all of her time reading. That must make her omniscient!' That's the logic of the masses."

Gohan: "A book planet?!" Gohan said excitedly. "That sounds-"

Lord Beerus: "Boring?"

Gohan: "-amazing!"

Lord Beerus: "If you say so." He looked at me, clearly annoyed with my attitude. He's a scholar. What other reaction would he have?

Gohan: "What's wrong with books?"

Lord Beerus: "Nothing. Nothing at all. Books are great. They don't hide anything from you. A book planet isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of exciting things, though. The rush of battle is what comes to mind. Being in the thick of combat. Being a warrior. Not turning a page."

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, books are a mighty and merciless adversary. They can inflict serious damage. Have you never seen scars from a paper cut? Or someone strain their eyes while reading?" I coughed and cleared my throat to keep myself from laughing.

Lord Beerus: "Stop trying to make me laugh." I casted my gaze over to Gohan and sighed. "If you want, I can bring you to the book planet one of these days," I told him in a defeated tone. He brightened up. "It's in Universe 3, so you better come prepared."

Gohan: "I will. Thank you." He looked at Videl. "Would you and Pan like to come with us?"

Videl: "I don't think Pan would enjoy it that much. I think she'd get cranky because there wouldn't be anything to do except read." Using your kid as an excuse to avoid going somewhere. That's clever. I can't wait until I can do that with my kid.

Gohan: "That's true. Maybe in a couple of years when she's learning how to read."

Videl: "You can bring Bulma. She'd go nuts over this planet."

Gohan: "That's a good idea. I'll ask her."

Lord Beerus: "You better tell her that it could be months before I take you. Liquiir and I still have to plan literally everything about our life mate ceremony, have the ceremony, and enjoy our honeymoon."

Gohan: "I understand. I'm not in any rush. I do have just one more question."

Lord Beerus: "What?"

Gohan: "Do you know what she looks like? The person who's omniscient?"

Lord Beerus: "No. Korn?"

Pan: "Corn!" Pan tried throwing some baby corn at me, but it didn't get very far.

Lord Beerus: "That's not the corn I meant, but thank you." Korn, the person, chuckled.

Korn: "I knew it was merely a matter of time until something like that happened. Now then, I have never seen her for myself, so I can only give you a very general description of her. She is a dragoness." We all stared at him, then at each other, and then back at him.

Lord Beerus: "That's it?"

Korn: "Yes. As I said, a very general description."

Lord Beerus: "You weren't kidding." I took a big bite of my omelette and finished it off. Videl did a quick scan of the table.

Videl: "It looks like everyone's done." She stood up and began collecting everybody's dishes, starting with Pan's before moving on to Gohan's. "I'll get these and prepare the dessert after." He got up.

Gohan: "I'll handle the dishes," he said while taking the ones she already got. She nodded.

Videl: "Thanks."

Gohan: "No problem." She left to go to the kitchen and in a few moments Gohan finished his task and joined her.

Korn: "They work well together," Korn noted.

Lord Liquiir: "That will be us soon," Liquiir said to me.

Lord Beerus: "Very soon." I looked at Pan and she gave me a smile. "You're proud of yourself, aren't you, kid?" I looked back at Liquiir. "I'm surprised you didn't try giving Korn a plateful of baby corn or some stupid thing like that." He crossed his arms and stared intensely at the young child.

Lord Liquiir: "She stole my thunder. I feel like I should retaliate."

Lord Beerus: "By doing what? Giving her a pan and asking her to wear it as a hat?"

Lord Liquiir: "I don't know, but something involving a pan. It must be done." She's giggling. "You laugh now, but mark my words. Sacrifices will be made. Starting with you." If she were older she might be taking him seriously, but she's not. Instead, her giggles are growing louder. Liquiir's face softened, completely dropping the charade. I'll admit, that's heartwarming. This proves to me that at least one of us would make a good parent.

Videl: "And we are back," Videl announced as she and Gohan walked into the room, the latter carrying a large tray with bowls of...something. He put it down on the table and they're all bowls of banana splits, completed with hot fudge, whipped cream, and some kind of chopped nuts. He took the smallest bowl, the one where the banana is sliced up completely, and gave it to Pan.

Gohan: "Here's some ice cream for you." She wasted no time in digging in.

Videl: "And here's some ice cream for the rest of you." One by one, she and Gohan dutifully handed out the bowls to everyone. I took a bite and as always, the banana split proves why it's a god among ice cream. The walnuts were a great choice of topping.

Lord Liquiir: "Mm! So good!" Liquiir moaned. It sounds like he's having a foodgasm. That decides it. As soon as I get the chance, I'll make my move. I want to make him moan like that in bed. "What's this called? Did you make this from scratch, too?" he asked Videl.

Videl: "It's called a banana split. And no, I didn't make it from scratch, but I do know how to."

Lord Beerus: "Cakes, omelettes, ice cream. Is there anything you can't make from scratch?"

Videl: "If I have the ingredients, then I can probably make it. And you don't need to say yes, but I have request for you and Liquiir. If it's okay with you two, may I cater the life mate ceremony?" I looked at Liquiir briefly.

Lord Beerus: "As in provide the food?"

Videl: "Exactly. It would be great practice."

Lord Liquiir: "Practice?"

Videl: "I'm working on becoming a professional chef." A professional chef, huh? That explains her knowledge of cooking and baking. Maybe I can learn how to make something other than cereal from her. I bet Liquiir would like that. Surprising him with a delicious dinner would be a fun surprise.

Lord Liquiir: "That's nice. Is there anything special you want to do?"

Videl: "Yeah. I want to be a professional chef with my own restaurant that's also a dojo. My idea is you can watch real martial artists fight while you wait for your food and eat. You can even join in if you want and take lessons."

Lord Beerus: "That's certainly ambitious. Do you think you can pull that off?"

Videl: "I'll do my best. My mentor says that I'm a natural chef and I'll go far if I keep working as hard as I am."

Lord Beerus: "Then I wish you the best of luck. And I think it's acceptable that you can cater the event. Is it?" I asked Liquiir.

Lord Liquiir: "Of course. The bribe, otherwise known as the omelette, tasted exquisite and it was your first time making it. I can only imagine how delicious the food will be when you make something you know."

Videl: "Thank you so much."

Lord Liquiir: "You're welcome. Are you planning on getting involved with martial arts or are you leaving that to other people?"

Videl: "I'm definitely not sitting out if I can help it. Cooking's really fun, but I miss being a martial artist. It's been a long time since I've practiced."

Lord Liquiir: "You used to be a martial artist?"

Videl: "I sure was," she said proudly. "I knew a thing or two before I met Gohan, but he was the one who taught me how to fly."

Gohan: "You told me that you wanted to open a restaurant dojo, but you didn't tell me that you wanted to get back into martial arts."

Videl: "It's something I recently decided. Actually, seeing how dedicated you are to training helped me with my decision a lot." He smiled at her and she returned it. "Would you like to train together a little when we have the time?"

Gohan: "That sounds great. We can train tomorrow morning."

Videl: "I'll set my alarm. Did you hear that, Pan?" Gohan laughed.

Gohan: "Don't give her any ideas. I want to sleep in."

Videl: "I know," she said in a way that tells us how exhausting Pan can be. "It's one of the best gifts a parent can get from their kids." She stood up and went to collect the bowls, but Korn stood up and held up his staff.

Korn: "Please, allow me this time. It's the least I can do." With a wave of his staff, the bowls glowed a bright green and floated into the air.

Videl: "That's useful. Thank you."

Korn: "You're welcome." He walked toward the kitchen and the dishes and Videl followed after him. I looked at Gohan who's now holding Pan.

Gohan: "I'm going to give Pan a bath. She hasn't had one yet."

Lord Beerus: "Before you leave, Gohan, I have some advice for you."

Gohan: "What is it?"

Lord Beerus: "Bring a blanket and some pillows."

Gohan: "Why?"

Lord Beerus: "Because it may start out with sparring, but trust me when I say that it can just as quickly turn into a...I'll just say it. A fucking session." Gohan blushed and gave his full attention to his daughter.

Gohan: "Do you think that will happen?"

Lord Beerus: "All of that raw energy being released? Two sweaty bodies fighting for dominance in a passionate dance of punches and kicks? I don't think it will happen. I guarantee it will happen. I'm speaking from experience, boy."

Gohan: "That's, um...good to know. I'll keep it in mind." He briskly walked out of the room.

Lord Liquiir: "You're speaking from experience?" Liquiir said. He sounds jealous. That's honestly cute.

Lord Beerus: "Yes, but it's nothing to worry about. It happened a very long time ago. I barely remember it was so long ago."

Lord Liquiir: "It's not that I'm worried. It's the thought that you've had sex so freely like that and my culture doesn't allow me to. Being a good boy, I can't bring myself to break that rule. I never thought it would be so hard and aggravating until my life mate ceremony was almost upon me." I smiled and ran my paw up and down his inner thigh, making his breath hitch. He gulped, his breathing starting to quicken. It's time to see if we can dry hump like a couple of horny teenagers.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, you need to vent. Badly. I think I know exactly how to help you without going against your culture's wishes."

Lord Liquiir: "Y-You do?" he quietly asked, his eyes fixed on my paw that's dangerously close to the growing bulge in his pants.

Lord Beerus: "That's right. You told me that it's taboo to have sex without performing the life mate ceremony first, although you also said that we 'Can't do much'. That got me thinking about what we can do."

Lord Liquiir: "W-What did you think of?" I smirked.

Lord Beerus: "You'll find out. We just need some privacy."

---

After unceremoniously throwing all of our supposedly special regalia on the ground, we fell on the bed, hungrily making out and wildly groping at each other. As per usual, I'm on top of him, but I'm considering letting him take charge when the time comes. I made sure to find a spare bedroom with a large bed and far away from everyone so we wouldn't disturb anyone or be disturbed. I also made it a point and locked the door to ensure that nobody could come barging in here whenever they wanted. The only threat is Goku, also known as Mr. Terrible Timing, randomly teleporting in here, and if he does do that I will force his tail to grow back and choke him to death with it.

I broke away and brought my mouth to his neck, nibbling it. At the same time I'm grinding our crotches together, reminding me, teasing me, that we're still clothed. He released a sound of pure pleasure and wrapped his arms tightly around my back. I love his cute and sexy moans. He's humping upward and going as far as to squeeze one of my asscheeks.

I didn't get a chance to think about this before because he asked me to stop too soon, but it feels like we're more or less the same size. That's impressive and exciting to me. I'm endowed, gifted, well hung, big, however you want to say it, and so is he. It'll be fun when it's my turn to enjoy it. This makes the idea of switching between top and bottom that much better.

Lord Liquiir: "B-Beerus. I-I think I know...what you want to do..." I stopped nibbling his neck and looked into his eyes.

Lord Beerus: "And what's...what's that?"

Lord Liquiir: "Y-You want to...to dry hump me." I smiled widely in a predatory grin and raised my ass up in the air.

Lord Beerus: "Ding," I said, accentuating the word with a hard hump.

Lord Liquiir: "Mmph!" He moaned loudly.

Lord Beerus: "Ding." I humped him again.

Lord Liquiir: "Ooh!" He moaned again.

Lord Beerus: "Ding."

Lord Liquiir: "Oh...Beerus..." He wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed me, holding it for a few seconds before stopping. He smiled. Cheekily. "You sound like a game show host. What's my prize for winning?"

Lord Beerus: "For you, my naughty contestant, you can be in charge." His smile disappeared and it's been replaced with a look of confusion.

Lord Liquiir: "Do you mean that as in...I'll be on top?"

Lord Beerus: "No, it means you're in charge of the aquarium in my temple. Of course it means you're going to be on top."

Lord Liquiir: "Why is everyone stealing my joke thunder today? I must be losing my touch. Normally I'm on top of this sort of thing. I guess I'll have to settle for being on top of you." He took his paw off of my ass and delicately wrapped his fingers around my tail, one by one. Oh! That's a unique feeling. He's gently squeezing and jerking my tail off like it's something else. Holy shit is this a unique feeling! I always kept my tail away from strange touching, so I never considered it to be an erogenous zone.

Lord Beerus: "Fuck," I breathed huskily, burying my head in his inviting chest. "I have no clue what you're talking about, Liquiir. It doesn't feel like you've lost your touch at all." My underwear is getting uncomfortably sticky and my entire body is squirming.

Lord Liquiir: "I had a feeling you would go crazy over this. I, of all people, should know, having nine sensitive tails." I looked up and adjusted myself to unstick my underwear from my rock-hard erection, wincing slightly.

Lord Beerus: "So your tails are erogenous zones as well? I'll keep that mind." I'm breathing heavier than I thought I would from this. We're not even at the main event. I know I told him that he could take charge, but this is ridiculous. "I thought you were a virgin. What happened?"

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, I'm a virgin. Not a pushover. I'm not going to act like I'm too terrified to try anything and that I need constant guidance. I'm a God of Destruction, the same as you. Or did you somehow forget?" I can hear his signature smile in his voice. I'm not complaining, though. He brings up a good point. I must have subconsciously attributed meekness to him being a virgin, regardless of whether he takes control or not, since I'm used to dealing with them. He's not like any virgin, however, and he's proving that to me in one of the best ways possible.

Damn it, what am I doing? I'm being a selfish lover, that's what I'm doing. I need to make a contribution and not be lazy. I pressed our mouths together, wrestling his tongue with mine, and stroked the outline of his concealed, raging hard-on at a fast pace. Now it's his turn to squirm and in addition his hips are bucking, rendering him incapable of focusing on my tail anymore.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir," I said hastily as I stopped my furious stroking. "We need to get these fucking pants off." He eagerly nodded and as soon as I got off of him we wasted no time in stripping down to our underwear. Now that our pants are off, we can-oof! He just pounced on me, pinning me down by my shoulders and continuing the war between our tongues. He called a truce quickly enough and sat up, letting the pressure off of my shoulders and wrapping a tail each around my legs and one around my waist. I instinctively put my paws on his hips and he closed his eyes in response.

Lord Liquiir: "This is it," he said, although he might be telling himself that more than he is telling me. He opened his eyes and leaned forward, pinning my shoulders down again, and shyly smiled. When it comes down to it, he's still a nervous virgin. "Don't laugh if I'm bad." I returned the smile and lovingly caressed his sides.

Lord Beerus: "Never." That was his green light to begin rocking his hips back and forth at a slow and steady speed. He sat up once more and closed his eyes again, his mouth parting in a low moan. Moaning quietly with him, I closed my eyes and pulled him against me every time he moved back, silently telling him to move faster and harder. He got the message and started humping officially in addition to grinding against me. I opened my eyes and-that's a beautiful sight.

My sexy and toned fox is arching his back, looking as if he's in paradise and panting and moaning up a storm. Words can't describe how much I love the face and the noises he's making. Even better, despite sharing a similar body shape with me, he still has the curves and even the flexibility that I'm attracted to. Honestly, I've always appreciated when a woman had a little meat on her bones in the form of well-defined muscles. And I'll never stop repeating how superbly soft his fur is and how much I enjoy the feeling of it pressing against my bare skin.

Of course, I don't love him only for his body, which would be justified with it being as perfect as it is. He makes me happy, plain and simple. That's strange, he's slowing down. Is he trying to make this last? He opened his eyes and rested his forehead against mine, purring.

Lord Liquiir: "I love you, Beerus," he whispered, slowing down further. I think he is trying to make this last, but not only because this marks his first true sexual experience with another person. This is equally an emotional release as it is physical. I'm moving one paw along his back and returning the favor for what he did to my tail to his middle tail, making him whimper and softly bite his lower lip. He really likes that.

Lord Beerus: "I love you, too, Liquiir," I whispered back. He's picking up speed again, easily returning to the same tempo and digging his claws into me. Nngh! F-Fuck! He just shot past the previous tempo he created and now he's mercilessly crashing against me! He's obviously through with making this last and I'm not upset with his decision.

Lord Liquiir: "B-Beerus!" he loudly groaned. "I-I'm...I'm so close!"

Lord Beerus: "I...t-too!" I can't even make one proper sentence. Since I can't use my words, I grabbed his ass with both paws and firmly planted my feet on the bed, frantically thrusting my hips up to get a faster and more explosive finish. Oh, fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! An explosive finish it is! We both cried out in ecstasy as we climaxed, Liquiir going the extra mile and throwing his head back and slowing down considerably, giving several final, powerful humps.

Finally, after who knows how long, the grand finale came to a close. The most I can muster right now is catching my breath and watch Liquiir while he remains frozen in time. He's still staring at the ceiling, dazed, gasping for air...sexually and emotionally satisfied. He lowered his head and was only able to stay up for a second before collapsing on top of me. With the both of us being a sweaty mess, there's only one thing left for us to do: we cuddle.

I weakly wrapped my arms around him and, as per usual, he placed his head in the crook of my neck while purring loud enough to drown out my purring and a roaring spaceship. He reached up, placing his paw on my face, and we kissed for the thousandth time in ten minutes. Instead of being animalistic like all those times before, this one is controlled and filled with unadulterated love and affection. Being with another person emotionally and enjoying them on an emotional level is too extraordinary to put into words. It made this experience better than I ever imagined and it will be unimaginable when we finally...make love.

He put his forehead against mine for a second time and closed his eyes. He looks so peaceful like this. He looks happy. Plain and simple. After taking a couple dozen seconds to catch his breath, his eyes opened and stared deep into mine.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus?"

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir?" What's he going to say? I tightened my embrace.

Lord Liquiir: "I think...we burned off those calories from lunch." We softly laughed.

Lord Beerus: "That's to be expected. We did choose a very effective exercise routine. By the way, your floof is messed up. Again." He kissed my lips.

Lord Liquiir: "Good. That means I got my money's worth. Otherwise I would ask for a refund."

Lord Beerus: "Really? What if I refuse to give you one?"

Lord Liquiir: "If you refuse, I might have to get aggressive."

Lord Beerus: "What's the downside?" We laughed again, this time a little louder. He rolled onto his back and contentedly sighed. I'm rubbing his stomach with both paws and he put his over them. I pressed my cheek against his fuzzy ear and slowly rubbed them together. "Liquiir...do you remember that banana split we had?"

Lord Liquiir: "Yes...why?" He's puzzled, unable to tell where I'm going with this.

Lord Beerus: "I don't. You were the real dessert. You were in a league of your own. I could eat you all day." It took a couple of seconds for my words to sink in.

Lord Liquiir: "Oh." That's the response I expected an innocent - or relatively innocent - person would have at such a comment. "I...suppose I am. I even have a cream filling. Too bad you won't get a chance to taste it until after we're life mates."

Lord Beerus: "Are you talking dirty to me?"

Lord Liquiir: "I'm trying. How was it?" I kissed his ear. It flickered a couple of times. I love when that happens.

Lord Beerus: "It was fine, you cheeky bastard. I'm contractually obligated to say that at least once."

Lord Liquiir: "I know. It wouldn't feel right if you didn't. I wish I had a pet name for you. What about...kitten?"

Lord Beerus: "Pfft. No. Not kitten. I'll take anything else."

Lord Liquiir: "What's wrong? Feeling a little...embeerused?" Did he really just say that to me? There was a long pause.

Lord Beerus: "Never say that to me again," I said threateningly. He rolled over a second time, revealing a sweet smile.

Lord Liquiir: "You're cute when you try to act scary," he replied in the same menacing tone. I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "That wasn't bad."

Lord Liquiir: "I may look and feel like a blanket, but I know how to be tough."

Lord Beerus: "That's not the only thing you know. Where did you learn how to dry hump like that? Did you practice?"

Lord Liquiir: "How would ever I practice it?"

Lord Beerus: "On stuffed animals. Champa is extremely familiar with that." He laughed.

Lord Liquiir: "Really?"

Lord Beerus: "Yes. Many stuffed animals were ruined when we were teenagers, but you didn't hear that from me."

Lord Liquiir: "Well, I just did what felt right. Clearly, I'm just that good." I closed my eyes.

Lord Beerus: "Clearly." He got on his side, put his head on my chest, and took one of my paws in his.

Lord Liquiir: "Thank you," he said in a hushed tone. "That was one of the greatest things I've ever experienced. And thank you for letting me take charge. I know I said last night that it's okay if you take control because it's better that way, but I needed this. This is the most I've felt in control this week." I didn't even think about the lack of control he had been feeling when I offered for him to take charge.

Lord Beerus: "Any time and now that you know you're comfortable with being on top, you don't need me to initiate and do everything for you."

Lord Liquiir: "I'd say so. I wasn't entirely confident with the very intimate aspects of this relationship, but that feeling's been thrown out the window."

Lord Beerus: "That's good. Also, that was one of my best experiences, too." I kissed the top of his head a couple of times. "Liquiir?"

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, Beerus?"

Lord Beerus: "What kind of cake would you like at the ceremony? It can be any kind."

Lord Liquiir: "Cake?" I opened my eyes to find him looking up at me with a frown.

Lord Beerus: "Is something wrong?"

Lord Liquiir: "Cake isn't the dessert of choice for life mate ceremonies." I put my free paw behind my head.

Lord Beerus: "Forgive my assumption. This different culture thing is a learning curve."

Lord Liquiir: "You don't have to be sorry. We're both learning."

Lord Beerus: "So...what do Kitsunians traditionally eat for dessert at the ceremony?" He smiled nostalgically.

Lord Liquiir: "There is this special kind of pastry we make that we make enough for every person. It's half the height and half the length of a loaf of bread and it's the same rectangle shape. It's toasted to a nice and crisp golden brown. We glaze it with honey and stuff it with the most delectable jelly imaginable and chunks of different fruit that are very sweet and juicy. The honey, jelly, and the fruit can only be found on Vulpesia. It's called scilimelata and it is sublime." He licked his lips.

Lord Beerus: "It sounds perfect. Could we also have a cake?" He's frowning again.

Lord Liquiir: "Does it absolutely have to be cake?"

Lord Beerus: "What? Are you the one person in the multiverse who doesn't like cake?"

Lord Liquiir: "I wouldn't think I'm the only person...but yes, I don't like cake." My jaw dropped. I'm genuinely baffled. He laughed awkwardly. "This is why I don't tell people I don't like cake. They can't believe it and think I'm weird. That's how you know it's wildly popular."

Lord Beerus: "You hit the nail on the head. Tell me, how? Why? Did you have a traumatic childhood experience?" He laughed again.

Lord Liquiir: "No. I just haven't had any kind of cake that I liked. Of course, I haven't eaten much in my life. Maybe five pieces total?"

Lord Beerus: "Five pieces? You can't say you don't like cake after eating only five pieces."

Lord Liquiir: "They were all different kinds. I didn't like any of them."

Lord Beerus: "Hm. Were any of them ice cream cake or chocolate fudge cake?"

Lord Liquiir: "They make those?" He asked, undeniably surprised.

Lord Beerus: "You didn't know that?"

Lord Liquiir: "I never went out looking for cake and there wasn't any on my planet when I was growing up. Actually, I don't believe there's cake anywhere in Universe 8."

Lord Beerus: "Where did you get your pieces from then?"

Lord Liquiir: "From the Supreme Kai of your universe, Shin. He brought an assortment of them to one of his meetings with the other Supreme Kais. Iru saved a piece from each for me and Korn to try. That was a few years ago."

Lord Beerus: "You didn't try the one that Videl made? No, you didn't, I remember. I thought it was strange that you weren't eating it."

Lord Liquiir: "I didn't like the ones I had before and I assumed that I wouldn't like hers either. I should have taken a bite at least." I scoffed.

Lord Beerus: "No wonder you have a bad impression of cake. Shin can't do anything by himself. He must have gotten ones that were poorly made."

Lord Liquiir: "It's a possibility. Is it that big of a deal that I don't like them?"

Lord Beerus: "Not really. It's just a shock."

Lord Liquiir: "How about this? I'll find an ice cream cake and chocolate fudge cake and try them. Maybe I'll love them because I do love chocolate fudge and ice cream."

Lord Beerus: "We can go...in an hour. I know the location of an excellent bakery that Bulma showed me." He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "If nothing else, I still love you."

Lord Beerus: "At least there's that."

---

An hour has passed and now me, Liquiir, and Korn are all sitting here at a small table in the bakery, Liquiir and I on one side and the Angel on the other, trying out those cakes. They're small portions, the ice cream cakes in particular being made up of a variety of different flavors, and we got them for free because I told the staff that Liquiir and I are going to get married. They congratulated us and said they were happy for us and all of that nonsense. It got annoying by the fifth staff member. The highlight was when one of the women privately told me that she was honestly jealous because she thought Liquiir was super cute and I responded by telling her that I know he's super cute.

The hour didn't feel like an hour since we spent it spooning and talking about this and that. I told him more about Champa and the stuffed animals. I told him our mom noticed one day that the ones he owned had holes cut in the crotch. She asked us what was going on as if she didn't already know. I honestly didn't know anything at the time and Champa was too embarrassed to say anything, but she caught on to that and figured out very fast who the culprit was.

Liquiir's an only child, so he didn't have any stories about a sibling. He did, however, tell me about a few cousins that may as well have been his brothers and sister. Their names were Fern, Ness, and Sing, and the four of them did everything together. He told me a few fun stories, one of which was that they shapeshifted into their parents to try to get out of school when they were only ten. It didn't work.

Something bad must have happened, though, because I got a bittersweet feeling from the way he spoke and near the end of his last story he got quiet and lost in thought. I asked him if he was okay and he said he was. Maybe they had a falling out. Maybe they all died young for some reason. Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll tell me more when he's ready.

Lord Beerus: "So, Liquiir, how do you like these cakes?"

Lord Liquiir: "The ones I've tried so far are amazing and I think I know why I don't like regular cake."

Lord Beerus: "Why's that?"

Lord Liquiir: "All of the flavor comes from the frosting and the frosting is too...sugary? My problem with it is that it's so concentrated and overpowering. It tastes gross to me."

Lord Beerus: "To tell you the truth, I understand where you're coming from. I like the taste, but it's...unique and it does leave something to be desired."

Korn: "My thought is that it's best to pair it with something, something that doesn't get completely oppressed by the taste."

Lord Liquiir: "My thought is that it's best to pair it with something, something that doesn't get completely oppressed by the taste." That was weird. Korn and I looked at Liquiir strangely.

Lord Beerus: "Why did you repeat what Korn just said?"

Lord Liquiir: "He said 'pair it'. Like the bird? Parrot? Is my clever wordplay lost on the both of you?" We all smiled.

Lord Beerus: "It was too smart for me."

Korn: "Your I.Q. is too high for us to comprehend."

Lord Liquiir: "Korn, you have jokes. It's a good thing they're not...no, I'm not going to finish that sentence."

Korn: "Were you going to say corny?" Liquiir took a bite of the cherry vanilla ice cream cake.

Lord Liquiir: "You said it, not me. Mm! Beerus, have you tried this one?"

Lord Beerus: "Not yet." He broke off a piece and brought it close to my mouth. My grin widened. "You're so thoughtful." I ate it. "This is really good. Here, try this one." I broke off a piece of the coconut ice cream cake and offered it to him. He immediately ate it.

Lord Liquiir: "I didn't think it would be possible, but they're all really good. If only I could introduce you to scilimelata." I waved dismissively.

Lord Beerus: "It's not a big deal. It will just have to be a surprise for my taste buds."

Lord Liquiir: "Trust me when I say that your taste buds will want to leave your mouth as soon as you have one bite."

Lord Beerus: "That's certainly some high praise, but I trust your judgement. You know how to pick your men after all. Or...your instincts do." He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "My instincts steered me right. Korn, can you get some more fudge cake, please? I loved that one the most."

Korn: "As you wish, my Lord." The Angel went off to the counter.

Lord Liquiir: "I'd love it even more if we could have the fudge cake to go with the scilimelata."

Lord Beerus: "So we are going to have both."

Lord Liquiir: "Both."

Lord Beerus: "Both. Both is good. And Liquiir, when it comes to your instincts, did you get that special feeling right away when you first met or began spending time with me?" He closed his eyes.

Lord Liquiir: "I...I think so, yes," he said after a moment to find the answer. "I didn't realize the significance at first, though. I knew I felt a powerful bond with you immediately, but it took me a while to put two and two together. Especially since you made it very difficult to be friends or even friendly with you." I did?

Lord Beerus: "What? What are you talking about?"

Lord Liquiir: "Do you really not remember what happened the very next time you saw me?" Clearly I don't. What happened? I remember that we saw each other several months later. He said hello, smiling as he always does, and I...oh. That's right, I completely forgot.

I haven't thought about that in millions of years. I swept it directly under the rug in my mind. Now that he's reminded me, I do remember that I was a distrusting asshole long ago. I'm not nearly as distrusting anymore. I'm just an asshole.

Lord Beerus: "It's been a long time, but I remember now. If I haven't already apologized for the way I acted when I was younger, I'm sorry."

Lord Liquiir: "It was a dark and very difficult time for you and you were under a lot of stress. No one can blame you for how you acted back then. Besides, with all of your hugs and kisses and...other things, I think it's safe to say that you've more than made up for your past rudeness. I actually have a very vivid memory of you saying I'm a bad God of Destruction because my destroy count was very low compared to yours. You said 'You're supposed to be destroying! Destruction is in your title! You're not doing your job if you aren't destroying! That's why I'll always be a better Destroyer than you'll ever be!' You wouldn't listen to me when I told you that you needed to be conservative and thoughtful and calculative in your destruction. That you weren't helping your universe." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I've been rambling this entire time."

Lord Beerus: "It's okay. I know you enjoy talking people's ears off and I liked taking that stroll through memory lane. Even if it isn't the most positive memory."

Lord Liquiir: "I liked it, too. We never talk about the old days. Looking back on it now, a lot of the 'Negatives' are kind of funny stories. Like that one." I chuckled.

Lord Beerus: "In a cosmic sort of way, yes." Naturally, I blame Whis. He made me terrified that I'd be severely punished if I didn't do my job. As a consequence, I rushed and destroyed often without much thought. It was good enough for him, so it was good enough for me. Eventually, I got used to that virtually mindless destruction, and when I stopped fearing punishment and he let me do whatever I wanted it became as natural as breathing to me.

I can't place all of the blame on him, however, because I should have been able to recognize much sooner that I wasn't truly doing what was best for my universe. As he said, Liquiir tried telling me that. I believe even Whis asked me if I thought I was being productive and doing my job well a few times. Every time he asked I told him to shut his mouth, let me do my job as I see fit, and that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to do. I guess I technically was, but to say I was doing it well couldn't be further from the truth.

Lord Liquiir: "What are you thinking about?"

Lord Beerus: "Uh...I'm thinking about how I did as a God of Destruction. Terrible."

Lord Liquiir: "You weren't...that bad."

Lord Beerus: "You don't have to lie to spare my feelings. Everyone knows that my mortal level is second to last. Objectively, that proves I did awful."

Lord Liquiir: "Are you going to improve your mortal level?"

Lord Beerus: "I'd be a fool not to, as would the other universes with less than acceptable mortal levels. I'll do my best to help my universe instead of ruining it."

Lord Liquiir: "And I'll help you however I can." I nodded and looked all around for Korn. He's been gone for a while and it shouldn't be taking this long to get cake. I finally spotted him standing near a window in the back of the bakery.

Lord Beerus: "It looks like Korn is talking to someone back there." Liquiir looked over at him.

Lord Liquiir: "You're right, it does. Who could he possibly be talking to?" Korn lowered his staff and made his return.

Korn: "I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, my Lord." He waved the staff over our table and the fudge cake appeared on it. "I received a call from Lady Heles. I let her know that you were both busy at the moment and unable to talk. She wanted to know if Lord Beerus had helped you and what your current condition was. I told her that the situation has been resolved and that you have returned to your usual self." Liquiir smiled.

Lord Liquiir: "That was kind of her. Can you please get in touch with her so we may speak?"

Korn: "Right away." The gem glowed and after a few moments she answered. She's smiling and she's with her Supreme Kai, Pell. Korn could have warned us about that.

Lady Heles: "There you are! Aw, you look so cute together!" I crossed my arms.

Lord Beerus: "Hmph. I see you're as annoying and full of assumptions as ever. What makes you think Liquiir and I are 'together' in that sense?"

Pell: "Anyone with eyes and a functioning heart can see how in love you two are. Oh, I never thought I'd see the day when crotchety old Lord Beerus would give his heart to somebody." He sniffled and wiped his eyes. "It's so beautiful!"

Lord Beerus: "Call me crotchety to my face and in person. You won't like what happens next." Heles laughed.

Lady Heles: "If you'll allow us to organize your life mate ceremony, that can be arranged."

Lord Beerus: "Excuse me?"

Lord Liquiir: "You want to organize the ceremony?"

Lady Heles: "Yes! Who better than I, Lady Heles?"

Lord Beerus: "The Kitsunian sitting next to me?"

Lady Heles: "That's...it was a rhetorical question." I snickered. "Regardless, Pell and I dreamed of the day when one of our fellow Gods of Destruction would settle down and tie the knot."

Pell: "We would be forever grateful if you would allow us the honor to organize everything! It goes without saying that you would still do the actual planning. You tell us what they are and we'll make sure everything gets done. What do you say?" Liquiir looked at me.

Lord Liquiir: "It would help us a lot and ease the workload," he said quietly.

Lord Beerus: "But these two? I'd bet my title that they'll go overboard and try to run everything."

Lord Liquiir: "It's a small price to pay, don't you think? And if they do go crazy, we can always find somebody else." I grumbled.

Lord Beerus: "I hate it when you're right." We focused back on Heles and Pell. "It's your lucky day. We agreed that you can organize everything." They gasped. They're giddy about this. "However, and this is important: this is our life mate ceremony. Not yours. You listen to us. Are we clear?"

Pell: "Crystal clear. You're both the boss. We won't disappoint you. You can count on us!"

Lady Heles: "In the name of all that is love, we will make your life mate ceremony perfect! If I don't, I wouldn't be able to live with myself!" Why are they so dramatic?

Lord Beerus: "That's good to know," I said, deadpan.

Lord Liquiir: "We will call you from time to time once we've gone over the specifics. Thank you both. Especially you, Heles, for telling Beerus how I was doing. And you, Korn, for letting him see me."

Korn: "There's no need to thank me, my Lord. It would have been senseless if I didn't."

Lady Heles: "I couldn't have said it any better myself. Until you call us, may your love prosper." She sighed and turned her attention to Pell. "Following your instincts is the purest form of love there is, but at the same time I wish Liquiir wasn't an old school Kitsunian and went out on dates." I furrowed my brow. Do they think they hung up? "I would have loved to have gone on a date or two with him." He nodded.

Pell: "I've never considered myself as one to enjoy men, but I would be lying if I said I never wondered what snuggling with him would feel like." He hugged himself. "It must feel like...snuggling with a bunch of blankets and pillows." I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "It does." They froze with shocked faces, like criminals caught red-handed. Neither of them is turning to face us. "If you haven't already figured it out, you never ended the call." And...there it goes. They hung up. The three of us laughed.

Lord Liquiir: "Ha, ha, ha! I believe that's what they call a 'social faux pas'. A flattering social faux pas."

Lord Beerus: "I'm surprised they didn't have a quip at the ready about me being your life mate. I half expected them to say 'It's interesting that your instincts chose Beerus, but love is love. Apparently.'" Liquiir's stretching his arms and back.

Lord Liquiir: "It doesn't matter if anyone has an issue with us being together. They can be ignored." He grabbed my paw, smiling warmly. I returned it.

Lord Beerus: "I want to pick up from where we left off and continue with our planning. Let's make our ceremony so spectacular that it will make all of the other life mates jealous and cry."

Lord Liquiir: "I couldn't agree more. I will be looking forward to all of those tears." I offered him another piece of the fudge cake.

Lord Beerus: "As will I."

---

Once we finished sampling the cakes and going over more details of the ceremony, we thanked the staff and walked around the city for a bit. We didn't visit many places. We stopped at an aquarium and spent an hour there. We spent time at a mall for a couple of hours. It turns out you get a lot of free stuff if you tell people you're going to get married, most of it being food and drinks.

We spent a good chunk of our time watching some play in a park about two star-crossed teenage lovers whose feuding families refused to let them be together. They both died in the end by way of suicide. A lot of people, including Liquiir and Korn, seem to enjoy it. I'll admit that it wasn't that bad. I understand the appeal since the story is relatable in more ways than one, but I think the writing could have been a lot better.

By the time the play ended, it started to get dark and we decided to go back to Gohan and Videl's house. It didn't take long for Videl to announce that dinner was ready. She tried her hand at beef Wellington with hot, buttered bread rolls, freshly squeezed orange juice, and for dessert we had chocolate pudding pie made from scratch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. She went above and beyond and it increased my confidence that we made the right choice in making her our caterer a thousand fold. We told her and Gohan about our day and we asked her if she'd be willing to make a huge chocolate fudge cake for the ceremony, to which she agreed faster than you can blink.

Now, Liquiir and I are in bed watching TV together. We just barely finished an episode of the game show I watched at Bulma's party when I was incredibly drunk. There was a touching tribute at the end, telling us that the game show host recently died. It's a shame. I consider myself good at reading people, and even with my limited time watching him, I could tell he was a model person.

Lord Liquiir: "You can't say he didn't live a full life. That's a good age for a human to pass on." I hummed my agreement.

Lord Beerus: "I have a feeling no one will ever fill his shoes. What do you want to watch now? A horror?"

Lord Liquiir: "Mm...I don't know. What about a comedy?"

Lord Beerus: "What about a comedy?"

Lord Liquiir: "You don't want to watch a comedy?" I laid my head down on the pillow.

Lord Beerus: "I don't really care. I'm thinking I'll go to bed soon."

Lord Liquiir: "Oh. Okay." I got up from the bed and walked to the door. I need a drink of water. I put my paw on the knob. "Beerus?" Liquiir whispered seductively in my ear. He wrapped his arms around my neck. Something big is poking me in my back. "Where do you think you're going?" I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "Nowhere now. I'm happy to do this as much as possible before the ceremony, but don't you feel like you're cheating the system?"

Lord Liquiir: "We already did once and if they didn't want Kitsunians to exploit this loophole, then they should have hired a lawyer to make everything airtight."

Lord Beerus: "Did lawyers exist on your planet when that rule was made or when you were born?"

Lord Liquiir: "No. Suckers." He's kissing my neck. "Come back to bed with me. You're on top this time." He's grabbing at my sash. "Show me how it's done." I locked the door. Here we go again. I think I might have created a very sexy monster.

Lord Beerus: "Coming."

---

Hallelujah! Praise loopholes! I decided to end things here and the next time you see Beerus and Liquiir will be much, much closer to the date of their life mate ceremony. This way you won't have to read every single detail about the planning that'll go into it. Ain't nobody got time for that.

For scilimelata, I combined the Latin words scilis (pastry), mel (honey), and gelata (jelly). When in doubt for making up a new word, just go with Latin. For Liquiir's cousins, Fern's a pun on fernet, Ness on guinness, and Sing on singani.

And yes, near the end I was referencing Alex Trebek's unfortunate death. I still can't believe he's gone. I didn't watch nearly as many episodes of Jeopardy! like a lot of other people did, probably less than a hundred, but it still felt like he was a huge part of my life. I just love him so much and I'll always miss him.

To copy a little from another story I recently wrote: forever in our hearts. Always our inspiration. Rest in peace, Alex Trebek. Don't forget to be awesome in Heaven.