"So, like, curve around here – there – and make another room." Beerus was gesturing through the glass of the aquarium, trying to explain his vision to Whis.

"You want to make the aquarium smaller?"

"I want another room to view it from. To gain something, you have to give something up. Balance and all that, right?"

"I was just checking," Whis said. "I didn't want you to get annoyed when you realised."

"I wouldn't get annoyed."

Whis hummed. "Of course not. So, anything else specific about this room?"

"Bean bags."

"I meant about the dimensions, doors, windows, and other specifics you might have about the room – furnishings not included."

Beerus got his new room, and he got it filled with bean bags, just like he'd dreamed. Flopping onto the biggest one, he spent a few moments kneading the beans until he was perfectly comfortable.

"Beans aren't my favourite thing to eat, but that planet sure did have some better ideas about how to use them." Beerus motioned for Whis to come closer. "No, closer." Once Whis was close enough he was able to wrap his tail around the angel's ankle, as if to say 'don't go anywhere.'

"What do you want, my lord?"

"You." Beerus tugged with his tail, but of course he couldn't topple Whis that easily. "Come on, join me. You must be exhausted from all this work."

Whis was never going to admit whether he was tired or not. Still, he sat perched on the edge of the bean bag to appease Beerus.

"Urgh, not like that." Beerus grabbed the sash at Whis's waist and pulled him closer, and then down so they were lying face-to-face on the bean bag.

"I forgot to ask if you wanted any lights," Whis said, not sure if he should be whispering instead.

"I specifically didn't ask. The light of the aquarium is enough to see that faint blush on your cheeks." Beerus caressed Whis there, wondering what made the angel so flushed? The fact he forgot about lights until this moment? Perhaps he, too, had been distracted by how nicely the aquarium made the room glow. But Beerus hoped that their close proximity was the real reason.

Before Whis had a chance to say anything, Beerus was closing in for a kiss. He was slow and gentle, still trying to find the best way to approach kissing the angel.

"Did you get me to make this room just so you could have me like this?" Whis asked.

"Maybe. I really just wanted a room full of bean bags. This was my immediate thought of what I'd do in my room of bean bags."

"I'm honoured." Whis kissed the tip of Beerus's nose.

Beerus rolled so that he was on top of the angel, hands entwining with Whis's as he went in for more kisses. It was still so baffling to himself why he wanted this so much. He'd never been a fan of kissing until now. The few he'd stolen from Whis since the first had been teasing – a taste of what he really wanted; to lie here with the angel and be this close, and, for some reason, kiss him over and over.

Maybe he was enjoying the fact he was clearly the one in charge at the moment. It wasn't often he got to have Whis beneath him in any sense. Even when he thought he was calling the shots, Whis was always there steering him, or halting him when necessary. But whatever this was right now? He was leading, and he believed it.

"So, it is lipstick?" Beerus mused as he ran his thumb over Whis's lips. How many years ago had he first wondered about it and never got the answer?

"The secret is out."

"I'm surprised it took this long."

"It's quite enduring, but you've been rather persistent this evening."

Beerus titled Whis's chin to shed a bit more light on his face. "Looks like I'll have to kiss you some more. Until it's all gone."

"It'll be difficult to tell; they are naturally tinted purple."

Beerus looked confused, so Whis elaborated, "Red blood under blue skin yields –"

"I get that, but why the lipstick then?"

"Because it looks good. Or do you disagree?"

"Not at all. I like the way it matches your eyes."

"Thank you. My nails too." Whis recovered a hand so he could press a few fingers to his bottom lip.

Beerus took the hand and inspected it. "And this?"

"Naturally enhanced as well."

"Well, colour me surprised." Beerus entwined their fingers once more. "Here I thought that you always looked perfect without doing anything, but even my dear, perfect angel has a bit of vanity about him."

"There's no room for expression in my uniform, so I have to have small outlets elsewhere, otherwise the only thing I can choose for myself in my hair."

"Can't you change the colour or your robe or something?"

"There isn't a rule, but… I guess we've all just silently agreed to wear a certain colour and never steal someone else's."

"But as long as you've got the diamonds showing you belong to me, does it really matter?"

Whis arched a brow. "That I belong to you?"

"Sorry, I didn't –"

"Don't apologise, my lord. I do belong to you, as you belong to me. You've been ever so careful about your words since our first visit to Planet Sarkay that it was quite unlike you to say something like that."

"Yeah, well, things have changed." Beerus pressed his forehead against Whis's. "When I say you're mine, I mean it in a different way."

"Yes, you have changed quite a lot, haven't you?" Whis ran a hand down Beerus's jaw.

"For the better, I hope."

"Oh, certainly. You're becoming the destroyer I always dreamed you'd be."

Beerus couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "And yet when I look in the mirror I still see the same old me. Haven't aged a day."

"You haven't changed as much as your brother has in that department, but you've certainly fleshed out a bit." Whis gently squeezed a bicep. "You look like you're taking care of yourself."

"You're taking care of me." He nuzzled into Whis's chest. "I just want you to know that I'll never not be grateful that you came to save us from that thing we used to call a life."

Ooo

"You're awfully quiet this evening, my lord," Whis noted.

"Can't you see I'm reading?" Beerus lowered his book. "I can't concentrate if I'm making noise, can I?"

"You're not usually this captivated by a book." Whis looked up from his own. "You're often distracted by any number of things. Can I ask what the book's about?"

Beerus motioned to the front cover, quickly stealing a glance at what it was. Comprehensive Notes on the Edible and Inedible Fauna. Great, it didn't even say which planet it was from. Still, he read the title aloud as if he knew what the pages he'd just been staring at had said.

"Oh? Are you planning to eat some of the things in there?" Whis asked. "Usually when you read a book on food you're full of questions."

"Well, maybe I was reading the inedible part and didn't want you to berate me for trying my luck."

"As I've said before, you won't die through poisoning, but if you were to eat that thorny-looking thing on the front I can assure you it would hurt."

He looked at it, recoiling at the thought of it scratching the insides of his mouth and tongue. "Well, I wasn't going to. What are you reading?"

"Just a fictional novel from our most recent outing. The bartender recommended it."

"What's it about?"

"A princess who falls in love with a commoner. It's beginning to be quite a common trope among mortal literature."

"Is it any good?"

Whis shrugged. "The writing could be better. The princess is a bit dull, but I'd say the author doesn't know how to write royalty."

"I'll give it a miss then."

Whis let out a low chuckle. "Oh no, I'd recommend it to you. Their relationship is almost entirely founded on physical attraction. I can see why it's so popular back on planet Ecir – mortals just love a bit of shameless porn. Especially in a book, as reading is seen as such a skill."

Beerus frowned. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all," Whis said, almost automatically. "You enjoy such novels, right? Then I recommend this book to you."

"But you said it wasn't very good."

"Well, the overall story isn't great, but the author certainly makes up for it elsewhere. You could even read the porn scenes separately because I feel they add nothing to the story, and the story adds hardly anything to them."

"So far," said Beerus, noting that Whis was about a third of the way through.

"It's enough for me to tell how this is going to pan out." Whis closed the book and set it on his lap. "But now I've got a few more words out of you, why don't you tell me why you've been pretending to read this past hour?"

"I really get a lot of thoughts thought when I'm lying here with a book, and you're here, and I can hear you turning the pages."

"Did I interrupt you?"

"No." Beerus sighed. "I was kinda stuck on one. Been thinking about it for a while."

"I'm listening."

Beerus sat up and patted the space next to him. Whis filled it as requested, his hand soon taken in Beerus's own. "I, uh, don't know if I ever really asked you about all this." He rubbed his thumb in circles around Whis's palm. "I mean, you agreed and everything, but… Well, I wanted to know how you feel."

"You'll have to elaborate, my lord."

"Well, I mean…" Beerus groaned. It was finally time to say things a little more plainly and make sure they were on the same page. "You might have noticed I'm a bit…smitten with you." So, he still couldn't say the L-word aloud?

"Yes, it's quite difficult not to notice."

"And I really enjoy being with you like this." He shifted closer to Whis, sliding a hand around his waist while the other kept hold of Whis's hand. "But… I don't know… I feel like I'm the one steering the boat, so to speak. I mean, sometimes you give me a quick kiss of your own accord, but… I have to wonder, do you like this?"

"Of course I do. Do you think I'd allow you to continue if I didn't?"

"I don't know – maybe? I thought you might be playing along just to please me."

Whis chuckled. "My job doesn't extend quite that far. I'm sure I've said it before, but I genuinely enjoy your company."

"Yeah, but…"

"And I also told you I like kisses."

"Whis…" Beerus groaned and head-butted Whis's shoulder. "You know what I'm really asking. Am I going too far for you?"

"Not at all. I fear you're having some doubts as a mortal would."

"Huh?"

"Well, my lord, the time between your…'confession' shall we call it? And up until now… Well, in the grand scheme of things it hasn't been long at all. Hardly enough time for me to reciprocate in whatever way you're hoping I might. And besides, you've been quite good at making sure we're entangled with each other as often as can be. I would say I haven't had a chance to be the initiator."

"Oh…" Whis made a lot of sense. "Sorry if I've been a bit too much…"

"Not at all, I'm very glad you feel comfortable enough to be so forward – and that you haven't tired of me yet."

"If I was going to get bored of you it would have happened several millennia ago," Beerus admitted.

"Oh, but we're still in the early days."

"I'm glad you're my angel. And I think you picked me because you knew we'd get along for…forever."

"You can't ever really know these things. I actually look forward to whatever little tiffs we have in the future. They're sure to spice things up a bit."

"I don't want to fight with you." Beerus kissed Whis's hand.

"But we will. Maybe over something trifling like who gets the last deep fried prawn."

Beerus wanted to say something disgustingly sweet like 'I'll always let you have it,' but he knew that was a massive lie and Whis would surely make fun of him for it. In fact, it would likely mean that the next time they got down to the last of anything he'd be forced to give it to Whis, whatever he was about to say being quoted back to him at that moment.

"But anyway, please don't stop doting on me as you are. I'm enjoying the attention – I feel quite special at the moment."

That was enough for Beerus. To know that his actions made Whis feel that way meant everything to him.

A/N: I did a poll on Twitter to determine if Whis wore lipstick or if they were natural and a whole 2 people responded, both in favour of lipstick, so thanks to whoever those two people were!