Aaron finally had the time to look at the webtoon Charlie recommended as the milder choice from Benimaru's collection. It was a weird reprieve, considering how tough the professors were compared to their community college.

"This is a little corny," Aaron sighed, scrolling through it, "The main character is pretty adorable."

Aaron thought about how much Benimaru hated the word. Still, he couldn't help but think of Benimaru or this character any other way.

He kept reading, "I'm going to guess this handsomely drawn guy in the suit is the love interest. Whoa! That's— pretty forward and a tad assault-y."

Aaron's eyes widened, "Barely chapter one, and they're fucking already? And why is that light so massive? That's not going to fit— nope— nope, it went in. People are into this stuff?"

Aaron looked at the "You may also like" section. That was one of at least 50 titles available on this particular platform.

"Jesus, Beni," Aaron put a hand to his face. He looked down at his lap and then put a hand back to his face, "Why am I comparing myself to a webcomic now?"

He groaned and set his phone down, "So Beni is into that, huh?" Aaron put a hand to his mouth as he thought. He picked up his phone again, "I wonder which one Beni pictures himself as-- I mean, it would be his fantasy, so it could go either way, though the main character seems more like Beni."

Aaron scrolled on to the second chapter, "Well, they're doing it again, and I'm not even ten panels into this chapter. I mean, it's well-drawn and detailed except for these weird lights. I guess it's better than a black bar sensor or whatever. Man, this guy's hands themselves basically swallow the MC."

Aaron looked down at his hands, then set his phone down, "Why do I feel like I will develop a complex if I keep reading this? Also, it's obvious the love interest is some kind of gangster or loan shark. Are all the love interests in these some kind of bad boy or something?"

Aaron leaned back in his chair, thinking, then his face cracked into a realization as he remembered something. "If that's mild, then what the hell level is the other one he showed me on?"

Aaron found it, and even he had to blush at the content.

"BDSM? I'm not even into that, but—" he pictured Benimaru in the place of the main character in this one, then slammed his phone down, shaking the image from his mind. "Nope! I'm not going there."

He slumped back in his chair, rubbing his temples, then looked at the ceiling in defeat, "Well, I'm up… what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Hey, Aaron. I'm sorry I've been so weird," Benimaru walked into Aaron's room, causing Aaron to jump.

Aaron kept his back towards Benimaru, "It's okay, Beni. A lot of weird shit has been happening!"

"Yeah. It's still no excuse for me to give you the cold shoulder like that," Benimaru fidgeted.

"We all have tough times. It's no problem, really!" Aaron was glaring down at his lap.

He heard Benimaru move towards him, "Are you okay?"

Aaron held his hand up, not turning around, "Hold on, Beni! I'm uh— I'm contagious right now."

"Oh no! Are you sick?" Benimaru rushed over and felt Aaron's forehead, "You don't have a fever, but you seem a little flush."

Aaron whipped Benimaru around and walked him to the door, "Everything's fine, Beni!"

"But you just said you're sick?" Benimaru glanced back, confused.

"Did I say that? What I meant to say is—"

Benimaru whipped back around, "What is going on with— oh. Is that all? Why didn't you just tell me to come back in like 30 minutes?"

"Uh…" Aaron looked everywhere but at Benimaru, "Well, you see— wait, 30 minutes?"

"It usually takes me a good hour, but I just figured other people probably take less time," Benimaru blushed and turned to leave, "Anyway, I'll leave you to—"

"What are you doing that it takes an hour?" Aaron was curious.

"I'm— kind of a slow starter," Benimaru admitted, "Plus, it's kinda embarrassing… I mean, I know it's healthy to do every once in a while. Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm going to leave you to it and come back later!"

Benimaru rushed out the door. Aaron stood gaping, then slapped a hand to his face, "Will you stop with the mental pictures, Aaron?"

He sighed, "Well, I have 30 minutes now…."

—

Aaron plopped down next to Benimaru at dinner.

"So— how was it? I mean, how'd it go?" Benimaru asked sheepishly. After the incident, he couldn't work up the nerve to go back to Aaron's room.

"How'd what go— oh!" Aaron blushed, "Ah, it was okay."

"That's good," Benimaru sipped his water, face still red.

"Now, what is going on here?" Tenseiga leaned forward, intrigued.

"Nothing!" Benimaru and Aaron held their hands up and shouted simultaneously.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," Tetsuya leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I'm sure they would tell us if they wanted us to know," Charlie smirked at them as if she knew something naughty went down.

"Charlie, it's not like that!" Aaron stood up.

"Not like what?" Benimaru was confused,

Charlie's face went neutral, almost disappointed, "Ah, I suppose not."

Charlie, Kat, and Tenseiga became moderators for an underground Beni and Aaron ship group. Tenseiga gave a really odd and vague explanation for Aaron's behavior. Still, Kat seemed to become an Aaron fan again after that, much to the chagrin of Linda. Almost everyone who followed the old one migrated to the new one.

Tetsuya shook his head. He disapproved, but he was sworn to secrecy by Tenseiga, who had a treasure trove of things to blackmail Tetsuya with.

"Okay, both of you can't be high strung," Tetsuya sighed, irritable because he could sleep if they would finally do something. The thing Tenseiga pulled out of his arsenal was particularly horrendous in Tetsuya's mind.

"Who are you calling high strung?" Aaron raised his voice.

"You!" Tetsuya pointed his fork at Aaron, "I'm sure the fact that you haven't gotten laid in the last couple months is contributing to that."

"Months?" Benimaru and Charlie exclaimed at the same time. Charlie started typing into her phone under the table.

"It's not because of me, is it?" Benimaru asked, concerned. Tenseiga continued the play-by-play under the table.

"No!" Aaron shook his head.

"Yes," Tetsuya nodded at the same time.

"Will you two quit? Linda already told me about this stupid new Aaron and Beni forever group," Benimaru rolled his eyes.

Charlie and Tenseiga squinted their eyes and muttered, "Linda…."

"Aren't I like a brother to you anyway?" Aaron waved an extended hand as he questioned.

Charlie muttered, "Yeah… in-law would be acceptable."

"Charlie!" Benimaru blushed.

She sighed and held up a hand, "I'm just saying perhaps denial is not just a river in Egypt."

Everyone else at the table groaned.

"I thought it would lighten the mood," Charlie crossed her arms and pouted.

"Piss poor jokes that should have stayed in the 90s aside," Tenseiga rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I think instead of avoiding the subject, perhaps you both should lay the cards on the table. You know, before this turns into one of those terrible romances that drag on into a long series of misunderstandings."

Tenseiga muttered, "Even lengthy webtoons have a faster pace on getting it in than this."

"First of all, if I were to hypothetically do anything with Beni, it wouldn't happen as quickly as the first three panels," Aaron was indignant.

"I don't know," Benimaru shuffled his feet, "I feel like all those panels happened from high school through community college."

Aaron opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, and then closed it again.

Tenseiga snickered, "Fox got your tongue there, Aaron."

"You— just," Aaron stammered, "You stay out of this!"

"Can't. My apprentice is directly involved," Tenseiga shrugged and cocked his head back, smirking.

"Perhaps the three of us should finish dinner on the patio before Aaron's head explodes," Charlie started shooing Tetsuya and Tenseiga out the door.

"Why? You two are just going to spy anyway," Tetsuya complained, trying to shove more things onto his plate as he was being dragged away.

"Tetsu!" Charlie and Tenseiga shouted simultaneously, "We would never!"

They left the back door cracked as they exited.

Aaron put his head down on the table with a thud, "What even is happening today?"

Benimaru looked at the ceiling, "I don't know, but our fan art has become more provocative."

"Why do we even have fan art?"

"You used to love the fan art!" Benimaru exclaimed.

"We had some pretty talented people in our fan group," Aaron smirked, head still on the table.

Benimaru laughed, "Yeah, it embarrassed the hell out of me, but it was pretty good."

They sat in silence.

"Beni, when you read— the webcomics, who do you see yourself as?" Aaron asked, "Not that it's any of my business."

"I don't mind telling you. It really depends on the one I'm reading. I prefer to be the casual observer engaged in the plot most of the time," Benimaru explained. "Personally, some of the love interests remind me too much of pops to get into it like that."

"Pops does have a suit for everything," Aaron nodded.

"But I kind of identify with the hardworking characters who just happen to find themselves in these precarious and sometimes promiscuous situations," Benimaru nodded, "Particularly the one where the guy gets cursed by the statue or the one about the guy who works in the convenience store."

Aaron grimaced because it was precisely the one he started reading.

"What's that face for?"

"Nothing! Just a complex."

"A complex?"

Aaron cleared his throat, "Anyway, so we've established that you like BLs mostly, and you're a slow starter…."

"Yeah, still not sure. Linda and I have been experimenting a little, and that's not bad either," Benimaru said.

"Really?" Aaron laughed nervously, "What kind of experimenting?"

"Well, that's a bit personal," Benimaru muttered, "I don't mind talking about me, but Linda might like the privacy."

"Of course," Aaron nodded, screaming internally.

"Is it really though," a voice came in from the foyer that made Benimaru's hair stand on end.

Chad strolled into the dining room, "So— answer the question?"

"If I'm not going to tell Aaron, why the hell would I tell you," Benimaru tried to sound confident, but something about Chad was utterly intimidating.

Aaron pulled Benimaru in, but his heart felt like it would beat out of his chest.

"Hmm… I don't think you've experimented too far," Chad gave a piercing visual assessment.

"Wh-What are you doing here, Chad?" Aaron was kicking himself for stammering, but if Charlie can't take this guy and puts Tetsuya on edge, what chance does he stand if Chad decides to lose it.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to talk to you, but that conversation was fascinating to me as someone invested in Benimaru here," Chad got close enough to caress Benimaru's face. Aaron held him tighter, ready to bolt.

"Can I even outrun him?" Aaron thought, hands shaking, "Stay calm. Beni is freaking out, I'm sure."

"I wonder why Aaron is shaking? He's taken down guys twice Chad's size, not that I need him to fight my battles for me," Benimaru thought.

Benimaru turned his face away from Chad's hand, "I think that's enough, Chad."

Chad let out a laugh as he went to find Charlie in the backyard. Aaron let out a sigh of relief. It was as if he had been holding his breath since he heard Chad's voice.

"Are you okay?" Benimaru looked up at Aaron.

"Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay, Beni? Everything is okay!" the pitch of Aaron's voice was unusually high.

"It's not out of the norm that you're holding onto me like this, but your hands are shaking. Did Chad do something to you, too?" Benimaru turned to face him.

"N-no," Aaron shook his head. "Though I can't exactly explain why Chad has me so spooked. 'Well, Beni, Chad is a god….' I guess I see why Charlie has a hard time coming out and saying things as they are," Aaron thought.

"Good," Benimaru seemed relieved but still confused, "Well, I'm going to go scrub my face!"

Benimaru hopped up and went to his room. Aaron decided to sit on the bottom of the stairwell until he was sure Chad was gone. He wasn't sure how well he could guard the way up the stairs. Aaron knew that he would fail miserably at some point, but that wouldn't stop him from being Benimaru's human shield.

—

"Dear cousin! How are you?" Chad asked in an overly sweet voice.

Tetsuya and Tenseiga jumped up, prepared to protect Charlie. She stood up to face him.

"You have a lot of nerve strolling into my home after assaulting my brother who knows how many times," Charlie squinted her eyes at him.

"Assault? I don't see how taking what will be mine assault," Chad shrugged and smiled, "I could take him at any moment."

Charlie started dialing the phone, "Hey, pops?"

Chad appeared before her and put his hand on hers, "Let's not get hasty there, Charlotte."

"Charlie? I'm so happy to hear from you! How are Beni and Aaron? What is Tenseiga up to? Is Tetsuya still grumpy?"

"Everything is fine, pops. I'm sorry for bugging you. I'll call you back later," Charlie replied in a cheery voice.

"You can never bug me, Charlie! I'm your father! I'll be here waiting for your call!" Sam chimed as he disconnected the line.

"I'm not grumpy," Tetsuya frowned.

"Not now, Tetsu," Tenseiga still had his eyes trained on Chad.

"What do you want, Chad?" Charlie leered at him because Chad was trying her patience.

"Is it out of the ordinary for me to be concerned about my cousin's health?" Chad shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Yes, it is. Especially considering I'm your favorite punching bag," Charlie glared.

"Let's leave the past in the past," Chad waved a hand, "Right now, you don't look so well."

"She looks just fi—"Tenseiga began, then raised his eyebrows. He kicked himself for not noticing.

"Your essence is weakening. Are you sure your half-mortal body can continue reaping like you do? It wouldn't be a cause for concern if you were like us," Chad tried to curb his disgust.

"I'm doing my job just fine, Chad," Charlie smirked confidently, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm as strong as ever."

"Right… well, give my regards to uncle Mal. He must not be doing too well either if you're using your own essence to reap," Chad seemed to pout before he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Charlie called after him, "What do you know about Uncle Mal's condition?"

But Chad was gone in a flash.

—

"Cute how you think you can guard what is mine from me," Chad walked around the corner into the foyer.

"Benimaru is not yours, and he's not property," Aaron jumped up.

"All of you are technically my property," Chad tilted his head to the side, "or at least my inheritance from my father and uncles."

"I don't know how theology or whatever works, but you can't have Benimaru," Aaron stood as firm as he could manage.

Chad appeared inches away from Aaron, gripping Aaron's face and turning it over.

"Hmm, so you know what I truly am," a chilling smile crawled across Chad's face, "and you're terrified. You should be mortal. If I weren't a man of my word, I'd take both of you, but Kumiho wants you for herself."

"K-Kumiho?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You knew her as Laurelie," Chad had to stop himself from bursting into laughter.

"W-Wait! Laurelie was—?"

"Oh, no. Kumiho is a celestial beast, just beneath me. Unfortunately, she's not as talented as her cousin Tenseiga. It's such a shame that all that talent is wasted on the abomination that is my cousin," Chad furrowed his brow. "He could be living in luxury with me in paradise, but he is slumming it with you lot."

“Tenseiga is Laurelie— I mean Kumiho’s cousin? So our feelings, mainly Beni's, she was messing with them somehow?" Aaron asked.

"Oh yes. I don't know what you do in bed that would make Kumiho so— desperate. Frankly, I don't care. I'm not interested in you," Chad shoved his face away and began to leave, "At least you're smart enough to fear me, but I wonder if you'll be foolish enough to get in my way."

With that, Chad was gone.

—

"Charlie, your essence, how did I not notice," Tenseiga reached for her.

"It's fine, Tensei! Don't worry!" Charlie waved him off.

Tenseiga shook his head, "This is not fine, Charlie. You don't have an unlimited well of essence to pour into reaping. That's why your uncle Mal is supposed to—"

"Tenseiga," Charlie glowered, "I said it was fine."

"If the stupid fox is concerned, it's for a good reason. I've noticed something was off, but since I'm like you, I can't see it as clearly as he can," Tetsuya felt ashamed that he hadn't asked.

"I said, I am fine," Charlie insisted.

"Charlotte!"

"Drop it," Charlie seethed.

Both Tetsuya and Tenseiga reached after her as she stomped off.

"She's not fine," Tetsuya shook his head.

"I know…" Tenseiga chewed his thumbnail.

"Since when do you chew your perfectly manicured nails, fox?" Tetsuya raised his eyebrows.

“Shut up, Tetsu,” Tenseiga stomped off.

—

Sam finished his second phone call with Charlie. The smile quickly faded from his face after they disconnected.

"Unfortunately, I'm always aware of what exactly is going on," Sam sighed, putting a hand to his face, "Minus who keeps getting into the house and what's going on in the void. So exact may not be the right word. Beni, Aaron… my dear Charlotte… I'm so sorry that I'm failing you, but helping you would put everyone in danger. I'm so sorry…."

Tears rolled down his cheeks. For a master of creation, Sam has never felt so powerless.