"I want to remodel." Beerus pointed up at the tree. "Now I can fly, let's add more floors. I want to be eating up there, with a view of this planet. And I want us to start collecting flowers from the planets we visit to make it something to look at; it's too plain and green now."
The changes came one by one – a moon to look at, a cavernous room to sleep in, a bigger lake for all the fish he was collecting from various planets. Whis quite enjoyed how Beerus was going about it all, making it a much more interesting place to spend his days.
With more visits to Empress Hebi, Whis found himself being asked to add snake motifs into some of Beerus's latest ideas. The waterfall in the bathroom being his newest creation.
"You like her, don't you?" Whis asked over dinner – leftovers from today's banquet on planet Hachu.
Beerus shrugged. "Sure. She likes me. And she feeds me well. What's not to like?" Ever since he'd broken the language barrier he felt like he'd found a friend in the Empress.
"I don't like to meddle, my lord, but I feel I should remind you that you're no longer mortal and will out-live her. Please don't get overly attached."
Beerus frowned. "So I can't have friends? That's sad."
"You can, but you two seem to be more than just friends."
He shrugged. "What can I say? The destroyer of Universe 11 is a hot piece of ass. Don't worry, as I said, I'm not that kind of guy. I enjoy her company and all, but that's all."
"Your troubled face says otherwise."
Beerus shook his head. "It's not that. You said I'd out-live people, and well…I guess that leaves me with a very small pool of life-long friends."
"It's the burden gods have to bear." Whis smiled happily, "But at least you have me!"
"Yeah, I guess. You, Shamz, and, uh… The kais?"
"Oh no, not them."
His heart skipped a beat. "Huh? But we die together, right?"
"Yes, and no. The kais grow old, and they die naturally, unlike you. You're going to be ageless and live until you're killed. That's the gift Grand Zeno gives to mortals who become gods."
"Well, you could have picked me up a few years earlier," Beerus joked. "But, won't I die when the kai does?"
"Supreme Kais retire and hand the reins to younger ones. Your life-link will pass to the next one when the mantle is handed over. Nothing to fear, my lord."
"So, am I going to go through Supreme Kais pretty quickly?"
"Not at all," Whis said. "It'll be millions of years before you see your second Grand Supreme Kai."
"Millions…" Beerus hadn't really had it put into perspective like that before. It was always 'forever', 'for eternity', 'until you die.' But the idea he'd live to be several million years old? It was baffling, and he certainly wouldn't believe it until he'd lived a bit longer. Had it been a year since he started this new life? Time already felt meaningless to him – he knew he had all the time in the world now, even if that was hard to comprehend.
Ooo
Beerus was as quiet as a mouse, glad he hadn't ditched the plush carpets the previous destroyer had installed just yet. Whis was peering into his staff, seemingly distracted. Yet when Beerus reached out, he found his wrist caught by Whis, the angel not perturbed in the slightest.
"You'll have to do better, my lord."
"Am I ever going to be able to sneak up on you?"
Whis hummed. "Probably not." He relaxed his hold on Beerus.
"Anyway…" Beerus waved a finger through the blue ring around Whis's neck. "It occurred to me I never figured out what this is. Can you take it off?"
"It's a halo, and no, it can't be removed, only hidden from sight if necessary." Not that Whis had ever found a reason to hide it.
"I thought halos were like…" Beerus circled the area above his head. He'd seen a few dead people in Otherworld during his travels.
"For the dead, yes, but I'm quite alive. All angels have them, perhaps as a sign of their divinity."
Beerus looked at Whis as if for the first time. "You're an angel?" He'd never believed in such things. "I mean, you're an angel to me, but really, a literal angel?"
"That's the word used to describe my species, yes."
"Aren't angels meant to… Uh, I guess you can fly, I mean…with wings?"
"You shouldn't compare me to angels from any culture. We're above all of that, perhaps we even started some of those concepts on certain planets."
Beerus finally stopped leaning on the back of Whis's chair to curl up in his own. "Another thing I wanted to ask – do you sleep? You never seem to get tired, and I've never known you to not be around when I'm up."
"Sleep isn't necessary. I can tire, but food and simply resting like now is enough to recharge me." Whis tapped his staff and a box fell out onto his lap. "These are particularly good for re-energizing me." He lifted the lid and took out what looked to be a sugary sweet. "Would you like to try one?"
Beerus wasn't going to refuse an offer to try something from Whis's secret stash. He knew the angel was hiding a couple of other things in the kitchen that were for his eyes only, not that he cared much when he was more well-fed than ever. The jelly-like texture was unexpected, but very enjoyable.
"Soon I'll start to leave you on your own a bit more. I realise that gathering food supplies is only interesting for you at the moment because you've never been to these places before."
"It's a lot more fun now I can talk to people." The Divine Language hadn't been too hard to pick up once Whis started talking to him in it exclusively. With no one else to talk to he had no choice but to learn quickly.
"But speaking of tiredness, you look about ready to sleep."
"This chair is mighty comfy."
"I didn't make you that lovely bedroom for you to nap on that old chair. Off you go, sleep well, and be ready for an exciting day tomorrow."
"More training?" Beerus asked.
"No. We're going out."
Ooo
"Good morning, Lord Beerus!" Whis was standing over him waving a small flag. "Happy birthday!"
"Eh? It's my birthday…?" What day was it? How did Whis know?
"Well, it's your God birthday. One year of being a destroyer, according to the Royal Calendar. Worth celebrating, no?"
"I suppose. Guess my original birthday will shortly become meaningless." It already was in terms of time, as he realised pretty quickly that the days on this planet were longer than the ones back home. "Do I get a present?" He and Shamz had always saved their best steal for each other when their birthday drew near.
"I have made you a cake, but your gift requires we go out, so hurry and get dressed."
"Run me a birthday bath first. And…can I wear something else today?"
Whis cocked a brow. "Why? As it's the anniversary of your godhood, surely the clothes symbolising that status are perfect for the occasion?"
Beerus shrugged. "I thought maybe I could wear something special."
"Those clothes are special. You need to see it as wearing something special every day rather than just on occasions."
Beerus mulled over that sentiment as he soaked in the warm scented water of his bath. A year ago he had been thrilled to wear something that wasn't old, itchy cotton, and now here he was wanting more. Not only that, but now he was decked in gold too, as if that wasn't special any more. It was good to remember his humble beginnings, as it seemed they were already being forgotten.
"Don't you get bored of wearing the same thing every day?" Beerus asked as they sped through space.
"No."
"Really? I took you for one who would. You're always distracted by nice clothes when we're out."
Whis sighed. "Some of the fabrics in this universe sure are a pleasure to touch. I can't help but have a little feel of the silks and velvets we come across."
"Why not just wear them then? Who's going to know on the days we spend at home?"
"It's a full-time job, and I'll dress for it at all times."
"You're so uptight sometimes," Beerus mumbled. Now he was starting to realise there were two sides to Whis; the carefree angel who would visit a planet just for another dumpling, and the strict teacher who wouldn't budge if his mind was set.
Suddenly it felt as if they were pushing against an unseen boundary, and then a sharp relief as the world seemed to change around them. The stars were not in the same places they were a moment ago, Beerus noted.
"Say, where are we going?" He hadn't asked yet, knowing this was supposed to be a surprise, but now he hoped to get a little more information.
"You've waited this long," Whis said, "Just hold on a little longer."
"What happened just now then?"
"We crossed between universes."
Beerus had thought that doing such a thing would take more effort than that, but maybe the real effort was how long it had taken just to get that far – they didn't often travel for more than an hour in any direction. Why was Whis taking him to another – god let it be true! Could he really finally be going to see his brother?! No, no, let's not get excited in case we're not in Universe 8.
The ride was silent from there on, Beerus absorbed in his thoughts, Whis able to feel the excitement radiating off the other. Soon they began to slow from their hyper-speed and Beerus tried to look ahead to where they'd be stopping. He barely registered the cone-shaped planet as they flew towards it, landing on hard ground.
Whis knocked at the grand wooden door before them, and Beerus's heart began to pound when it was none other than Whis's sister who answered! And if she was here, then so must Shamz! He wanted to make her take him to his brother immediately, but he remained calm with great restraint as she began to lead them inside.
"Shamz!" Beerus called as soon as Vados opened the door to the main hall and he caught sight of a familiar face.
"Beerus!" Champa scrambled to his feet immediately, rushing to meet his brother halfway.
They came together in a mighty embrace, both overjoyed to see the other. Beerus didn't want to let go, feeling like he might not see his brother for another year if he did.
"My name's Champa now, brother. Don't forget it."
Beerus nodded into Champa's shoulder, taking a moment to get a grip and not let any tears out before letting go and holding Champa by the shoulders. "Look at you!" He poked Champa's stomach. "You're getting fat!" But Champa wasn't fat in the slightest; he was finally a healthy weight, and that brought Beerus more joy than Champa knew.
"Yes, Vados has fed me very well – I can have anything and everything I desire!" Champa boasted. "Say, doesn't your angel feed you enough?"
"What? Of course he does. I've eaten more this year than I have in my whole life before all this."
"Well it doesn't show." Secretly Champa worried that maybe Beerus had been worrying over him or something, but he wasn't going to ask now.
"It doesn't matter. Tell me about what you've been up to – we have to trade stories." Beerus couldn't help but hug his little brother one more time. "I've missed you."
Champa smiled. "So have I. It's weird going from seeing you every day to never. I always hoped Vados might invite you for dinner or something."
"Whis said I wasn't allowed to see you until I'd trained a bit more." He looked around to give Whis a glare, but the angels were busy having their own catch-up out of ear-shot. At least they had some privacy.
"Vados isn't always willing to give concrete answers," Champa said. "But she's good to me, so I don't mind her ambiguity most of the time. Oh, I'll have to show you what she's built for me!"
Champa's palace was grand, and put Beerus's to shame for the most part. As he showed his brother around his new home he regaled tales of planets he'd visited, and people he'd met. Beerus contributed some of his own experiences in return. Outside was a different matter. Beerus certainly couldn't wait for Champa to visit Universe 11 and see the lush greenery and towering trees on his planet. Things were certainly lacking here in that department, but Champa had always preferred indoors to out.
"I thought you would have been stricter," Whis said as he watched the brothers sample Champa's latest sweet discoveries.
"What can I say? The first few months were more difficult than anticipated. He really was like a lost kitten without his older brother to guide him. But as you can tell by this place, he really has come into his own recently."
"Yes, completely different to what it once was." Whis took a moment to glance around. "And the training?"
"You must be ahead," Vados conceded. "But we have a good schedule now, so we'll catch up soon."
Ooo
"Do you ever bathe?" Beerus asked once Whis had told him his bath was ready.
"Of course. I do so while you sleep."
Beerus nodded. "Something for you to do, right? Must be boring not being able to sleep."
"Most mortals I meet think they'd jump at the chance to able to survive without sleep."
"Sure, it would be great if I was only going to live for a few decades, but with my near-immortality I figure sleep is a fantastic pleasure to indulge in. I certainly have always enjoyed it."
Whis smiled. "I'm glad you still enjoy it. It seems you're sleeping even more these days."
"So it does." He wasn't going to air his concerns just yet - it was surely just down to the fact he could. "Anyway, you look tired after universe jumping, and I thought a soak might refresh you."
"How thoughtful of you, my lord."
"So you'll join me? I figure the pool is quite big enough for two."
"Thank you, I think I will."
Beerus didn't think through how strange his offer was going to be. He'd only ever witnessed Whis roll up his sleeves a couple of times, and now he was inviting the angel to get nude! It wasn't weird usually, so why was it weird now? Because…because it was Whis! The long sleeves, the trousers tucked into his shoes, and the turtle neck… Whis didn't show skin and that's what was making it weird. Briefly an image of them swapping clothes crossed his mind. How did Whis's midriff look? Such a strong being was surely ripped, yet he didn't appear so.
Beerus slid into the water, deciding he'd keep his eyes to himself as much as possible.
"Did you enjoy the day with your brother?"
"Yeah, it was really nice."
"Is that all?"
Beerus stared into the water. "Thank you for taking me. It was really good to see him and know he's okay and doing well."
"That's very sweet, my lord."
"Shut up." A perfect excuse to direct his attention away from the angel. "Actually, I saw something while I was there that I want."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he had this fish tank built into the wall, but I want to go further. A larger tank going up through the centre of the tree, spanning several floors, full of fish from all the planets we visit!"
"My, my, what a tall order. And here I thought you were concerned for how tired I am. Is that why you can't look at me? Guilt?"
Beerus panicked now that Whis had noticed. "N-no! I didn't mean today - or even tomorrow! Just an idea for the future."
"I see. I'll have it done before you wake up."
"You don't have to! Take your time."
"It sounds like a nice feature - I'll enjoy creating it."
Whis began to swim out to the waterfall, and Beerus looked for the first time, unsure why he was surprised to see the halo still hovering around the angel's neck. Whis's frame was as slender as Beerus imagined it would be - not that he had been imagining Whis undressed! And it turned out that his shoulders were broad, something he had suspected his outfit had been overcompensating for.
He quickly averted his eyes once more as Whis stood under the waterfall.
"Would you like me to wash your back, my lord? That way you won't have to look at me."
Beerus balked. "I - I don't -!" He didn't know what to say. "Look, it's only weird because it's you. I never see you relaxing in just a shirt or something. You're never even just sitting in that under robe."
"It's okay to look, my lord. I am for your eyes only."
That made Beerus flush and he hoped to God it didn't show. "Don't say it like that! But fine, wash my back."