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

Bel looks to their conjoined hands for a brief, puzzled moment before finishing his order with the waiter. After he's gone and when Bel fully realizes the intense stare Nico's giving him. It takes Bel only a moment to put the pieces together. While the looks the waiter had given Bel were clearly just friendly customer service, Bel knows that Nico could easily see that a different way. Why not take this opportunity for a little teasing?

Bel smiles knowingly, but waits for Nico to finish their itinerary for tomorrow. "Thank you," he says before leaning across the table. "Are you jealous? Of the pretty waiter?"

"Of course I think he's pretty," Bel says flippantly. "He has beautiful eyes." Bel can't remember the color of the waiter's eyes. Nor the shape or tilt, but it's fun to mess with Nico. He has more quips brewing in his brain, but Nico's possessive comment shuts down all active thought.

"I didn't strike you for the possessive type," Bel whispers with a small smile before returning back to his sear. Only a minute later, the water reappears with a small basket of mozzarella sticks that they certainly did not order. He quickly explains that it's on the house before disappearing towards the kitchen.

Bel's mouth falls open at the comment, something curling deep within his gut at the thought. Of course Bel knows it won't be anything bad, but the curious and slightly aroused side of him definitely wants to know what Nico has in mind.

"Are you threatening me, Nico?" He practically purrs. He reaches for one of the free appetizers and takes a bite. "I'm not going to turn down free food because that waiter likes me and you don't like it."

Bel laughs, hiding his smile with the back of his hand. He represses the shiver that rolls down his spine at the idea of later. Of course they were going to have fun later regardless, but this added element does give it a little more spice.

"We'll see where the day takes us," Bel responds with a sharkish smile before going to his water for a sip. He takes another stick and eats it quickly but stops after, he has to leave room for the sandwich he's waited a decade for.

For the remainder of the time spent waiting for their meal, Bel practically gets lost in his thoughts. Tomorrow he would wake up and be on his way to the home of the Lisais to face their leader. Bel would be a liar if he said he wasn't at least somewhat terrified of talking to the leader. His throne had been ripped from him by Bel's own father. Bel wants to continue telling himself that his father is not a cruel man, but he doesn't want to repeat the lies.

Bel's snapped from his trance when a hand touches his shoulder and the food is placed in front of him. With a little overly friendly smile, the waiter asks if they need anything else and Bel turns to Nico for an answer–Bel not even addressing the waiter's light hand on his shoulder.

Bel would have to be blind to not notice the change in Nico's demeanor as the waiter reappears. It almost makes him laugh. Of course, Bel has no feelings at all for the fairly handsome waiter, but it is fun to watch Nico squirm a little bit.

"I would love another glass of water, thank you," Bel says. The waiter nods and scuttles off, but not before sending Bel a longing look. As soon as he's gone, Bel's leaning across the table and squeezing Nico's hand. "You are jealous, aren't you?"

"It's not my fault he finds me attractive," Bel retorts with a smile before giving Nico a quick peck and leaning back in his seat. Ignoring the promise of what's to come, Bel gets his hand back from Nico's grip and begins to take his sandwich. The first bite is everything he's ever asked for and more. With the bread and the meat and the vegetables–Bel hums. Who needs an elite palace chef when he can just get sandwiches everyday? His company is also much preferable to his siblings and father. As much as Bel loves them, Nico doesn't force Bel to walk on eggshells. Nico's no royalty–he's just… Nico.

Bel's taking another bite and notes the different flavors to try and recreate later. Once he has his spice kit recollected, Bel is going to spend hours in a kitchen and finally make himself a proper sandwich. Gods, no more caviar for the rest of Bel's life.

Bel takes a moment to properly chew his food and swallow before answering. "Wondering how I can make this at home." Wherever home is. "I'll have to reassemble my spice collection granted you all pawned off all my hobbies." He laughs a little, proving that he's not too mad at the prospect. Cooking has been his more recent hobby, one that he picked up about six months ago when the cook finally let him into the kitchen. (Bel had Miran by his side when he requested, so that could be a majority of the reason why the chef finally folded.)

Before he continues, Bel takes another bite of his sandwich and reaches for another mozzarella stick in the middle of the table. "I tried to cook a lot, but I was never really allowed to. My siblings found me over a stove in the dead of night more than I'd like to admit." He laughs a little and shakes his head at the memory. The waiter returns with Bel's glass of water, intentionally leaning in far too close and lingering a touch on Bel's shoulder.

"Oh yes, I was entirely lovely deprived of sleep and smelling of chives," Bel jokes, taking another bite of his sandwich. He's nearly done with it already. Maybe he'll order another for the night. The waiter returns and gets entirely too close to Bel. While it had been amusing at first, now it's just getting bothersome. Nico's outburst shocks both of them.

The waiter makes a face and strides away. Bel watches him leave with wide eyes before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Gods, you were really bothered–" He shakes his head and takes the last few drinks of his old water before setting it near the edge of the table to trade it for his new one. "We should get out of here."

Nodding, Bel grabs his sandwich and stands, gesturing for Nico to follow as he takes the last few bites of his meal. "Don't forget to pay our tab–" Bel reminds. Though the waiter had been… less than satisfactory, the food was still very good and Bel knows the hostess and the chef at least deserve their pay.

From the corner of his eye, Bel catches the waiter at another table giving the attractive young woman the exact same treatment he had given Bel, except she doesn't have a partner sitting right across from her.

Bel's mind temporarily races with everything they could do. The market, the performances, the venders, the carts, the animals, the people–all of it quickly fades away in favor of the curl of anticipation deep inside Bel's gut. "Nothing I can think of," a lie, but Bel knows that they're both eager for the same thing.

He squeezes Nico's hand tightly and nods towards the door. "Please, lead the way."

Bel's happy to be dragged along by Nico towards the inn, just barely catching glimpses of people's lives all around him. A few people send him weird looks, but he just shrugs. Bel can't be bothered by people he doesn't know. "Oh, I look forward to–" Bel's sentence is harshly cut off with a yelp as Nico slings him over his shoulder like nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

He laughs as Nico takes him to the inn, only setting him down right when they get to their inn door and frankly, Bel doesn't care if any of Nico's men saw. (He probably will later, but not right now. Not when they're so close.) Right up against the door, Bel presses a kiss right to Nico's lips, something quickly turning increasingly heated.

Instead of feeling threatened and cornered like he probably should be feeling pressed right up against the door, Bel can't help but love the feeling. He's safe. Nico would never hurt him. The kiss only deepens and soon enough Bel's shirt is being pulled off. He only notices because they have to separate to fully pull it off.

"I'm surprised you haven’t worn me out yet," Bel mutters against Nico's lips.

Bel immediately notices the switch in atmosphere, falling back into a role he didn't even know he had. "You're not that old," Bel responds with a small smile. Their age difference couldn't be more than just a few years. Nico has experience, which Bel quite likes.

With a small and exasperated shake of his head, Bel approaches the bed and sits on the edge of it. "I've never misbehaved a day in my life. I told you, it's not my fault the waiter found me attractive–" he claims with hardly any power behind it.

With Nico caging him in, Bel's heart begins to race. He smiles and lays down fully, his head just short of the pillow. "I don't know what you're talking about," he claims, raising his chin with a sharkish smile. "I'm afraid you'll just have to show me."

Bel knows that everything is moving fast–maybe too fast, but he can't even care. It's the most attention he's received in a decade and the most comfortable he's ever felt around another person. Nico, though their relationship has been short, is someone Bel wouldn't mind spending forever with–spending endless nights just like this.