Mal was pacing inside the void. Even for chaos itself, he was looking particularly disheveled, as if he were losing sleep, but as a god, he doesn't need sleep. Mal was losing track of time, who he spoke to, and missing reaping sessions with Charlie. "What is wrong with me?" Mal was chewing his nails. "Uncle Mal?" Charlie appeared in the void next to him. "Charles! How's my favorite niece?" Mal was trying to hide his anxiety. "Great! How are you?" Charlie smiled. "Good... We're both terrible liars, Charles," Mal slumped down on a couch that materialized. Charlie plopped down next to him, "I know what you mean. And while you are eternal uncle, I shouldn't need to rely on you forever." "Unless you can figure out how to access an eternal well of the essence, you'll need to rely on someone. I don't think that person is me anymore," Mal turned his head toward Charlie. "Of course, uncle! It has to be you!" Charlie exclaimed, "Like me, you're the only one good enough to do what we do!" Mal nodded, "I know, Charles, but-- I keep failing you again and again. I don't know what's going on with me lately." "None of us do," Charlie shook her head, "We aren't the only ones in a weird place right now." "My nephew and his friend are still in denial, huh?" Mal looked up at nothing in particular. "Well, it's not just that. Aaron has been acting really weird around me," Charlie sighed, "I don't know what's gotten into him. I feel like he and Tetsu have bonded more than usual, but with me, it's like he walks on eggshells. I don't know what I could have possibly done." "That fan page could be part of it," Mal grimaced. "Aaron always loved the fan pages!" Charlie got defensive. "Times are different, Charles. Beni and Aaron are becoming different people," Mal noted. "You're right, uncle," Charlie shook her head. She still wasn't at ease, and despite telling everyone she was okay, she felt about how her uncle looked. -- Linda fell back in contentment, and Benimaru crawled up to lay next to her. "Beni," Linda sighed and smiled, "While you are fantastic at oral, shouldn't I be doing things to you, too?" "Nope! Nope, Linda. We should keep doing what we are doing!" Benimaru laughed nervously. "Beni," Linda grimaced, "What we are doing has you being completely dressed and me becoming a complete slut for you." "You're not a slut, Linda! Don't say that," Benimaru exclaimed. Linda rolled on her back and sighed, "Maybe I'm not the one you should be experimenting with, Beni." "What do you mean? You're great, Linda!" "Beni, you barely let me touch you, yet, while you were terrible at this at first, you seem to keep improving, so I stay distracted," Linda laid out the accusation. "Listen, Linda," Benimaru began, "I don't mind getting better at what we are currently doing!" "Right, but shouldn't you want to be touched too?" Linda pressed. "Yeah-- I guess so," Benimaru looked down. "Beni, I'm not saying I'm not great. I'm saying that perhaps I am not the one," Linda got up and started putting her clothes on, "We kept this casual, so I'm not breaking up with you, but I don't think we should keep going in this way." "Well, if you don't want to, I'm okay with that," Benimaru looked slightly down. "Hey, don't be upset, Beni. I'm sure you'll find that person you would love to have their hands all over you," Linda continued grabbing her things. "I guess you're right, Linda. See you in class on Monday?" Benimaru asked. "Of course, Beni! We're still friends, just without the benefits from now on, yeah?" Linda waved as she headed out the door. "Yeah," Benimaru looked up at the ceiling. "So Linda finally stopped getting distracted, huh?" Tenseiga leaned over Benimaru. "Tensei!" Benimaru jumped, "When did you get in here?" "Don't worry. I came up when I saw Linda leaving. She looked like a mix of wildly satisfied and wildly disappointed," Tenseiga stroked his chin, "a combination I have yet to see. Does it have to do with the fact that you are still fully dressed and minimally disheveled?" "Maybe," Benimaru sat up. "You know, she may not be the one, Beni," Tenseiga plopped down next to him. "She said the same thing," Benimaru looked at his hands. "Linda is wise despite being the biggest snitch in the history of ever," Tenseiga conceded, still mad about the secret group, "You are still friends, right?" "I don't think we stopped being friends," Benimaru's voice raised a question, "she said something about without the benefits?" "Ah, yes," Tenseiga nodded, "Well, dinner is almost ready. Go wash Linda off your face and meet us downstairs." Benimaru blushed, "Uh, okay." -- "So, I'm going to guess by the look on Linda's face, your experiments are over, huh?" Tetsuya popped a roll into his mouth. "I didn't think it was possible for anyone to look so satisfied and disappointed simultaneously," Charlie noted. "Don't tell me you were distracting her with your mouth down south," Tetsuya asked, then muttered, "That would at least explain why you're still high strung." "I mean, she said I was good at it, but the fact that she couldn't reciproca-- wait! I'm not talking about this with you all!" Benimaru crossed his arms. "Talking about what?" Aaron had just come in from a late class. "About how Beni was 'good with his mouth in the south but didn't let Linda touch him," Tenseiga sipped his drink. "Tensei!" Benimaru exclaimed, blushing. "That's-- nice?" Aaron sat next to Benimaru, confused. Tenseiga looked over his cup at the two men, "So now that Linda is out of the picture-- perhaps you two could--" "Fuck already," Tetsuya said with a mouth full of roast. "Tetsu! Don't talk with your mouth full! It's rude," Tenseiga reprimanded, "and I was not going to say something so crass!" Tetsuya swallowed, then muttered, "When did you get so PG-13?" Aaron and Benimaru looked at each other, then looked down at their laps. Each of them tried to work up the nerve to approach the other. Benimaru was not shocked by his shyness. Aaron, however, was confused as to how he had been teasing Benimaru for years, and he couldn't manage to ask him to go further. Part of the problem was that they didn't know the other was trying to ask about it. Charlie looked between them, "Well, hopefully, something happens by the time I return from my trip." She rose to leave the table, having finished her food quickly. "Leaving already?" Tetsuya pouted. Charlie kissed Tetsuya's temple, "Yes, but I'll be back before you know it, Tetsu." "I don't know. I always know it when you're out of my sight. I know it every second," Tetsuya muttered. "You're so sweet," Charlie pecked him on the lips. Tetsuya pulled her onto his lap, pressing his lips to hers as he held her face. "Where'd that come from?" Charlie breathed. "Well, I-- uh," Tetsuya helped Charlie back up, "Just-- I wanted you to remember me while you're gone." "I always remember you, but you certainly gave me something new to add to my arsenal of memories," Charlie smirked, "And perhaps new ideas." "Absolutely not! We all eat here," Tenseiga reprimanded. "I don't know," Aaron shrugged, "something tells me the dining room table and the kitchen counters are pops and Mrs. O's favorite places to--" "Aaron!" Benimaru and Charlie exclaimed at the same time, covering their ears. "My bad," Aaron shrugged. "Wouldn't that just be uncomfortable?" Benimaru asked. Tenseiga smirked, "Don't knock it until you try it, just not on MY dining room table." Charlie and Tetsuya were weirdly quiet. Tenseiga squinted his eyes, "You two already did, didn't you?" "Well, gotta go! See you all in about two weeks!" Charlie rushed out the door, leaving Tetsuya to sit under Tenseiga's glare. Tetsuya cleared his throat, "So-- did either one of you work up the nerve to ask the other to do whatever it is mortals-- I mean, you plan on doing to move this whole thing along?" Aaron grimaced at Tetsuya. Now that he knows, what's up, Aaron understands Tenseiga's frustration with Tetusya a little better. "I'm sure he's not planning to ask me anything!" both Benimaru and Aaron said simultaneously. "Wait, were you planning on asking me?" they continued in unison, "I mean, yeah, but--" "See, you two are already in sync," Tenseiga gave his usual fox-like smile. "So, do you want to go on a date?" Aaron asked. Meanwhile, Benimaru asked simultaneously, "So do you want to f-- go on a date! Yes." "Beni," Tenseiga squinted his eyes, "What were YOU going to say?" "Date! I was going to say date," Benimaru nodded. "Really? Because it sounded like you were going to say--" Tetsuya began. "Nope! I was going to say date," Benimaru insisted. Aaron looked between the three in awkward silence. He knew Benimaru was definitely not going to say 'date.' "Perhaps you're feeling pent up from all that distracting you were doing to Linda?" Tenseiga sipped his tea. Benimaru stabbed his fork into dinner, "I have no idea what you're talking about." -- Charlie appeared in a remote location after the two-day trip by plane. Since uncle Mal has been out of commission, Charlie had to use mortal means of travel, so she doesn't tire herself out before she even gets to the job site. The job was in an abandoned church. It's said that they performed rituals and the souls of the sacrifices haunted the pews. A frustrated priest tried to make another deal and got her instead of a demon. She wasn't sure how these mortals were lucking out, but Charlie was happy they were. Trying to get a spirit out of a soul deal to sort them correctly was like pulling a tooth with a wet noodle. Not impossible, but exceedingly unlikely. The door creaked as she pushed it open to enter the church. It was quiet, but she noted that candles were lit when she entered the sanctuary proper. "That's odd. I was told this place was abandoned," Charlie approached the candlelit altar, "These markings... mortals shouldn't be able to place them so accurately in this way." While trying to decipher what exactly was going on, she accidentally stepped on one of the symbols. Light started pouring out of all of her orifices before she collapsed inside the circle of markings. "What the hell?" she panted, practically spent. "She came! Just like our Lord said she would!" one of the men holding signs warning of the apocalypse on the street corner appeared in the room. "I told you the end times were upon us," a second man from the town overstepped in from around another corner. "We all say that. At least fate brought the enlightened ones together to save the souls of humanity before the coming of our Lord," a woman entered the space. "What the hell are you all talking about?" Charlie managed weakly. The group of people gasped. "Such profanity and the lights prove that she is the harbinger of disaster just as our Lord said in a vision." "An abomination will appear in this building the night you must carry out this deed," another person from the group quoted. Charlie gritted her teeth, "Chad, you sick son of a bitch..." "Well, we must continue while the she-devil is subdued." The group closed in, one brandishing a dagger with the same markings etched on it. -- Benimaru and Aaron were heading back to the house from the movies. They had gone to the movies together many times throughout their friendship, but the fact that this particular instance was a date preceded by dinner at a restaurant that was not Crepe Casa made things different for them. "So-- what did you think of the film?" Aaron asked as he drove them home. "It was great! The actor they chose to portray Captain Vice was incredible! I was skeptical at first because he's a mainstream actor, and the roles he usually takes do not fit Vice's personality, but he captured Captain Vice perfectly! The fact that his sidekick Scope-Shot Wil was female in this film was a new take on it. Kat was particularly excited about that fact." Aaron couldn't help but smile as Benimaru rattled off aspects about the film, such as character development and easter eggs from the comics sprinkled throughout the movie. "What did you think of the movie, Aaron?" Benimaru asked. Aaron wasn't too much of a comic fan, so he didn't have any in-depth commentary, though, "I thought it was pretty good!" Benimaru was giving him starry eyes like he wanted more. "The villain was-- well, she was pretty badass." "I know! Crimson Kate is quite literally one of the most insane and violent villains, so I was concerned about how deep the actress would need to go to get her right. She made it there, though!" Benimaru smiled in a way that caught Aaron a little off guard. There were a lot of things that caught Aaron off guard today. Aaron was sure he hadn't seen Benimaru in anything but a hoodie except at graduations where Mrs. O insisted he wears something to fit the occasion. Today, though, he was wearing a button-down with a blazer. It looked good, terrific, in fact. Aaron cleared his throat, "Well, we're almost home." "Yep!" Benimaru chimed, "Since I picked the movie we saw in the theater, we can catch up on that show you like!" "Beni, that show gives you nightmares because it's about unsolved homicide cases and serial killers," Aaron glanced at him. "Well, yeah, but we'll be together so that it won't be so bad!" Benimaru nodded. Aaron swallowed hard, "Yeah. Yeah, okay!" -- Charlie groaned when she heard the sound of her phone pinging. The group of cultists knocked her unconscious and tied her to this giant cross they set in the middle of the circle of ancient markings. "Um... So, I'm not Jesus," Charlie's voice was hoarse. They hadn't given her food or water for what could have been days already. "Of course, you aren't devil woman. We are delivering you unto our lord as a sacrifice to quell the wrath of God," one of the cultists was humming a tune as they prepared a mallet and some spikes. "Though, it would please our Lord if you suffered as he suffered," another cultist who looked like a bodybuilder in a mask was warming up. "We cannot sacrifice this heathen fast enough. Look at this message she received," a cultist grimaced, holding up the phone. Tenseiga snapped a picture of himself and his set up in the living room, saying, "Beni and Aaron are returning from their date!" "Is that man holding a candy dish full of condoms and lubricant?" "He said, Beni and Aaron? Two-- men?" "Disgusting." "First of all, put my phone down. That's not your business. I'm sure your lord or whatever is omnipotent and already knows about that. Secondly, my brothers are not disgusting. This," Charlie wiggled her arms tied in ropes, "is disgusting." "They are-- brothers?" "Fuck me, why did I word it like that," Charlie rolled her eyes. She was too tired to put thoughts together in an adequate explanation, so she said, "Yeah, they're married." "Married?" one of the cultist women screeched. "We will have no more of these messages filled with such abominations coming in and disturbing the ritual," the larger mad crushed the phone with the mallet, "Now I must cleanse this again." "Awe, pops gave me that phone," Charlie pouted, then hissed when she felt pain sear through her hand. When she looked over, the large man started nailing her hand to the cross with one of the spikes, "The fuck... Ah! You shouldn't be able to do that!" She screamed as pain and confusion seared into her mind. No mortal should be able to hurt her in this way. "Uncle M--" she began, but another cultist stuffed something in her mouth. "The deliverer told us not to let her call to anyone," one of the cultists who hadn't been there before hissed at the others for forgetting to gag her. The markings on the floor glowed with every strike, Charlie's muffled screams filling the sanctuary. -- The house was oddly quiet when Benimaru and Aaron entered it. "I guess Tetsu and Tensei went to bed?" Benimaru questioned. "Yeah, I guess so--" Aaron stopped dead when he went into the living area. "What's wrong-- oh," Benimaru turned a shade of red, then cleared his throat, "Ah, well, how-- thoughtful of Tensei?" Aaron decided to put the dish under the side table next to one of the couches, "A little too thoughtful." Benimaru couldn't help but giggle, "The look on your face right now!" "That's supposed to be my line," Aaron plopped down on the couch, indicating that Benimaru sit next to him. "Of course, you're right," Benimaru stifled more laughter as she sat next to Aaron. It didn't take long for Aaron to find the show. He wrapped an arm around Benimaru, who relaxed as he leaned in. The particular episode they were on was about various types of cults. "P-people really do this stuff? Like this isn't just an exaggeration for purposes of the show?" Benimaru squeezed Aaron. "There are some really sick people out there, Beni," Aaron explained enamored, "This particular group used to kidnap children to sacrifice them. This happened a couple of decades ago in a town about three hours from here." Benimaru nodded wide-eyed as the show went on. The screams added into the explanations for dramatic effect caused Benimaru to jump and put his face into Aaron's shoulder. Aaron chuckled, "We don't have to watch this, Beni. It'll be on this streaming service until after finals, so I can binge if I need to." "N- no! You do so much for me, so-- so I," Benimaru thought back to the number of times Aaron had to jump to his rescue. "You do plenty for me too, Beni," Aaron paused the show, "So don't force yourself to have nightmares on my behalf." Benimaru looked down, "Right..." "Hey," Aaron tilted Benimaru's chin to look up at him. He forgot the rest of what he was going to say when their eyes met. Aaron brushed his thumb over Benimaru's chin and jawline before pressing his lips to Benimaru's. When he broke away, Aaron was surprised to see the look on Benimaru's face and even more surprised when Benimaru pulled him down to kiss him again. They kissed each other in succession as Benimaru laid back onto the couch, Aaron leaning over the top of him. Benimaru's heart was racing, and out of habit, when Aaron started tracing kisses down his neck, Benimaru reached for his pants. "Whoa, whoa," Aaron grabbed Benimaru's hand, kissing his palm, "Don't be so hasty, Beni." "Ha, uh, right," Benimaru turned a deep shade of red. Of course, his usual avoidance tactics weren't working on Aaron the way they did Linda. Aaron brushed his lips against Benimaru's, "Relax, Beni. We don't have to go any further than this if you don't want to." Benimaru looked away nervously, "N-no, we can keep going." Aaron tilted Benimaru's chin to face him again, "Are you sure?" Benimaru was sure he probably looked like a deer in the headlights with the look of concern on Aaron's face. He took a deep breath before saying, "Yes. I'm sure." Aaron smiled, "Okay." He traced kisses along Benimaru's jawline down his neck. Benimaru shifted around a bit as a slight tremor when down his spine. He turned a deeper shade of red and covered his mouth when he groaned as Aaron reached the line of his collar bone. Aaron grabbed Benimaru's hand, brushing kisses along his knuckles. "Making noise is okay, Beni. I like knowing that you're enjoying this," Aaron smiled as he continued the trail of kisses up Benimaru's wrists. His heart fluttered when Aaron brushed his hands along Benimaru's shoulders, pushing down the blazer. To Aaron's surprise, when his arms were free, Benimaru draped them over Aaron's shoulders and pulled him in for another kiss. -- Sweat dripped off of Charlie's brow. Her voice was hoarse from the screams. The markings were glowing brightly now that her blood was pooling on the floor. The strong man had finished nailing her hands to the wooden cross. She got a brief reprieve, but she couldn't tell what they were doing. She vaguely heard their conversation. "We have to leave her like that until tomorrow," the female cultist said in a hushed voice, "the moon will not be full until tomorrow night." "Plus, the dagger has to soak into the blood we collected from her," a male voice agreed. "Fine, but why is this process so painstakingly long," another female complained. "Do you want to go to paradise when our lord comes, or don't you?" the first woman hissed. "I do!" "Well, let's finish up her feet and untie the ropes," the strong man sighed as he got up. Charlie heard shuffling around and felt the cold steel press to her feet. -- Benimaru shuddered and groaned as Aaron ran his hands under Benimaru's now opened shirt, coarse fingers rubbing against his sides and back. Aaron continued making his way down Benimaru's chest with his mouth. One hand gripped Aaron's bicep while leaning back on his other elbow into the couch. Aaron's breath and the feeling of his torso pressed to Benimaru's abs were warm against his cool skin. Aaron traced his fingers around the band of Benimaru's pants until he reached the clasp in the front. He was going to undo it when Benimaru grabbed his hand. -- "Wait!" Charlie cried out, but her voice was muffled due to the cloth in her mouth, "You can't just leave me here like this!" The cultists blindfolded her before leaving. She was left dangling alone, helpless in the dark. Tensing her muscles to hold herself up just made the pain worse. She wondered if they'd leave her hanging long enough for her shoulders to dislocate. It's not like she couldn't pop them back in once she got down somehow. She just knew it was going to hurt like hell. "Can I actually die, though?" Charlie thought, "I may be part mortal, but I'm also goddess of death, so... who would come for me if I did die? Who is going to guide the souls when I'm gone? Chad sure isn't going to fucking do it." Charlie sighed, defeated. She could already feel the tension her body weight is putting on her arms as she was forced to hang there. Her best option would be to slip into unconsciousness. Otherwise, she was going to go crazy. With her luck, she wasn't going to blackout at all. At least she thought until everything, including her mind, went dark. -- Aaron smiled down at Benimaru in reassurance, "It's okay, Beni. We can stop for now." Benimaru blushed and nodded. They walked to their rooms in silence after fixing themselves up and turning off the TV. Aaron kissed Benimaru's forehead, "Don't worry another minute about it, Beni. I'm glad you were able to tell me you had enough, and I had a great time today." "Yeah! Me too," Benimaru smiled, "Can-- we do it again?" Aaron blinked, unsure of what Benimaru meant about that statement, "I want to go ahead and say, yes to going out and yes to picking up where we left off when you're ready." "Then it's a date!" Benimaru chimed as he kissed Aaron before turning to head into his room. Aaron stood there for a long moment, holding his fingers to his lips, smiling, "Yeah, I guess it is a date."