"I would burn the world for you" (OxO Closed)

"In the morning," is the last thing Bel's able to say before he's right back to sleep, comfortably curled in Nico's strong arms.

The night passes and the morning rises and passes into midday. While Bel sleeps heavily through the sunrise beside Nico, others are rising.

Miran awakes and not in the town he fell asleep in. It doesn't take long for him to get out of bed and fix his appearance–dressing and checking his teeth. He may be in simple clothing and without a crown, but he is still a king. (Well, almost.) The vial and talisman he received from his friend are well drained of any magical properties, now just mere trinkets to sew to Flip's saddle. After ensuring he's handsome as ever, Miran exits his room and scuttles to the attached tavern.

The inn he awoke in is identical in every aspect to the inn he fell asleep in. The towns are different, miles and miles apart. Oliphan and Alifant, similar in name and practically identical in layout. The sister cities are ones of magic lurking beneath every floorboard and behind every stone. Miran knows it well, he's been through the twin towns on many occasions. His sisters, on the other hand, are strangers and fearers of its properties–hence why he kept it a secret from them both. He shaved days off their journey, a little magic is nothing compared to saving his little brother.

Bel carefully wakes, blinking open his eyes. The first thing he sees is Nico, instantly bringing a sleepy smile to his face. "Good morning," he mutters, voice groggy from the night. Instead of anything romantic or sappy or addressing anything from the night befire, Bel says "I want food." It's been ages since he's had a good sandwich. What better place to have one than a tavern in a lovely village.

Even though he's hungry, Bel remains in the bed, far too sleepy and comfortable to move.

Bel shakes his head and sits up, closing his eyes tightly at the vertigo that courses through him. When the blackness fades from his vision, Bel yawns and covers his mouth woth the back of his hand. "Good afternoon, then." Bel's never been allowed to sleep in past late morning. It feels strange, though Bel can't complain about being semi-well rested.

"Let's go downstairs," Bel answers. "Walk around and explore now that the sun is out." He moves to stand, taking it slow to allow his sleepy mind to catch up. He yawns again and rubs at his eyes. "Dinner last night was wonderful. Do you happen to know any places witha sandwich? I haven't had one of those in years." The cook that replaced the one of his childhood had always been more adament on fancier delacacies and caviar. Eugh, Bel hates caviar.

As they both stand, Bel takes only a moment to fully take in the entirely of Nico's back. It's littered with scars, some fresher than others. Bel's own skin is glass, free of any scars or blemishes. It shows exactly how sheltered he had been, how hidden he was kept and how protected he was.

Bel smiles. "I'm sure you're very capable of controlling yourself," he gets in close, leaning over the bed to place a lingering kiss on Nico's lips. Bel really doesn't mind if they get a little heated, but he does want a sandwich and he's currently prioritizing that over Nico. "Let's get going sooner than later." Bel steps away and heads towards the bathroom.

It doesn't take Bel long to undress before taking Nico's hand to step in with him. He sits across from the other man, his back against the rim. The water is warm and slowly getting filled with suds from Nico. Bel had washed his hair the night before and found it unnecessary to do so again. He sighs and rests his head against the rim, sliding down to soak in more of the warmth.

He cracks an eye open at soft contact on his arm. He covers his shy smile with his hand as Nico carefully scrubs at his skin before switching to the other arm. Bel's always been used to people taking care of him… but not like this. Everyone had always been hesitant, scared or begrudging to tend to his needs. While Bel was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, there were people who relied on Bel's needs to pay for their dinner. He let them take care of him out of obligation, Bel allows Nico to from a much different perspective. One of genuine care.

Bel goes lax, allowing Nico access to any part of his body he needs. His hands are smooth but the sponge is rough, a perfect mix that has Bel sighing. The tension drains from his shoulders.

At Nico's polite offer, Bel opens his eyes and stares at the man he's gotten so soft for. "Yes," Bel answers just as quietly after a beat of silence. He takes the sponge from the blond and carefully slides over in the tub, pressing the sponge to Nico's pale skin. Bel starts with his arms, working down to his fingertips before moving to his chest. They're pressed oh-so-closely together, both sudsy and soaked and Bel can't control himself. He leans down to kiss Nico, a tender yet passionate thing.

Bel only pushes into the kiss more. This is the only thing he wants. As much as he loves their sex, a long kiss is all he needs. He still wants to be able to walk and get their sandwich after this.

Eventually, Bel does pull away and pants softly, all the breath stolen from his lungs. "Let's finish getting you washed," he says, voice thick. Despite what they both want, Bel needs a sandwich. They can finish this foreplay later and after Bel's actually eaten something.

"Im not going to turn into a monster because you starve me," Bel replies witha smile and roll of his eyes. "I'm not going to turn into any sort of monster on you. Not unless you become a monster to me." And even then, Bel's sure that he'll still feel at least something for Nico. He isn't sure if it's love, he's never been in love before. But if he had–Bel's sure it would feel similar to the bubbly joy in his chest.

He takes Nico's hand and steps out of the bath, only having to dry himself off from the neck down. He doesn't take long to dress and fix his hair, turning to Nico when he's done.

Bel can't help his uncontrollable laugh as Nico assaults him with quick kisses. He tilts his head, allowing the blond access to his entire neck. It's already littered with small lovebirds from the past day, but nothing that he can't cover with the high collar of Nico's cloak.

Bel's ensuring his shirt is properly tucked into his trousers when Nico asks him to braid his hair. Bel accepts with a small smile and has Nico sit on the small stool beside the bathtub. Bel makes quick work of braiding it back in a ponytail, a large braid on the top and two smaller braids along the sides. It doesn't take long for him to finish, pressing a quick kiss to his head.

Bel enjoys this, running his fingers through Nico's hair and pulling it into a nice braid. He's careful with the man's hair, knowing it's much finer than his own. Anything too tight or too small could easily end up damaging it in the long run. Nico may not care about the smoothness of his hair, but Bel likes it. He likes running his fingers through it.

The request almost makes Bel laugh. Nico doesn't have to ask for Bel to accept, but Bel supposes he'll indulge Nico for this. "As you wish," Bel responds quietly, leaning forward for a sickeningly sweet kiss. It's chaste yet tender, carrying a hoard of emotion behind it.The angle is awkward from their positions, but that doesn't matter. Bel pulls away eventually, smiling down at Nico.

"Sounds good to me," Bel responds, eagerly taking Nico's hand and allowing him to lead Bel put of the room and towards the stairs. Bel only has a moment to close the door behind him before they're going through the hallway and descending the stairs. It's practically midday, half of the day spent but not wasted. Bel doubts it could ever be wasted at Nico's side.

And then they're in the tavern, the business fairly slow for it being after the lunch rush. There's a lonely bard trying to tune her lyre in the corner and three men slumped over each other asleep on a table. The barmaid whistles a tune as she cleans the endless glasses. "Which place has the best sandwiches?" Bel inquires, a samdwhich the only thing be can truly think clearly about.

"Thank you!" Bel manages to shout as Nico fully drags him out the door. Laughing, Bel manages to regain his footing. The street is much different but still just as beautiful as the night time. There are more children out, running around and playing tag and shoving bugs in each other's faces. Down the road a few blocks, a large sign adorning a red stallion hanging in front of a door.

"This way–" It's Bel's turn to drag Nico towards the restaurant. "It's been a decade since I've had a sandwich." Bread, vegetables, sauce– all of Bel's favorite things smooshed into one.

"I'll gladly pull your arm out of its socket if it means I'll get my sandwich sooner," Bel responds determinedly, weaving around a few groups of people as they enter through the restaurant doors. They're seated quickly, which Bel is very thankful for, and soon enough he's sipping at an ice water and looking over a sandwich menu.

The only problem of this perfect afternoon is that Bel can't decide on a proper sandwich for the life of him. With so many customizable options and signature sandwiches, he finds himself hurriedly trying to find the right one. Eventually he ends up on deciding the chef's pick.

Bel's mid-drink when the waiter asks what he wants with a very nice smile. Trying not to cough his lungs out, Bel takes a moment to clear his throat before ordering the chef's pick. The waiter smiles even brighter, staring at Bel for just a moment too long before ducking away to deliver their order.

They aren't seated by a window this time, instead in a small booth near a wall separating them from a walkway. There are a few filled tables around them–one with a young couple and a sleeping baby, another with a father and his twin boys, a third with a quintet of friends sipping colorful alcohol and a fourth with an elderly woman just staring at the birds outside the window. Bel people watches, just for a little bit before turning his head back to Nico.

"So we're leaving tomorrow morning," he says, drawing absent circles on the table with his finger. "And from there, how long will it be until we arrive?"