want a good ol’ romance // oxo // closed

“That wasn’t what I was implying,” Xellis grumbled, opening up another bottle and handing it over. “So get your mind out of the gutter.”
He held out the bottle, his smile turning into a sort of concerned grimace.
“I’d encourage you to slow down,” he said, clearing his throat. “But I’m really in no place to do so. Just… be careful? Maybe wait a bit? The first beer hits hard after a while, so I’ve heard. And the effects… don’t always look like they feel the greatest.”

“Depends on your definition of ‘good,’” Xellis murmured, laying back on the roof. He couldn’t help but smile. He’d never before been the responsible one, but he didn’t actually mind.
He clicked his nails on the glass of his bottle, reaching over with his other hand to grab another, popping off the lid already and waiting for Scipio to ask for another.
“Just remember— if you’re even able to do that anymore— that I tried to pace you~,” Xellis said, his voice almost a sing. “But hey, I’ll hold your hair back or whatever.”

“Buddy, you’re gonna get sick as hell,” Xellis said with a short laugh. “Didn’t know if you knew that or not, but you can’t really go back now.”
He crossed his legs over one another, letting his bottle rest back in the cooler as he put his hands behind his head.
“Just, if you feel like you’re gonna let it out…,” Xellis began. “Do it off the side of the roof.”

Xellis almost snorted at that, his face twisted up in another grin.
“You are absolutely swazzed, my friend,” he said, voice tinted with humor. “And sure, I’d love nothing more than to get some stuff outta you.”
He leaned over, now laying on his side so he faced Scipio.
“What really made you want to stay here?” he asked. “Was it really for selfish reasons, or do you actually have some good in you?”
The question was somewhat sarcastic, but Xellis didn’t mind hearing what Scipio would have to say.

Xellis narrowed his eyes. “Blunt.”
He rolled back over, closing his eyes before dishing the second question.
“And what about your life on earth?” he began, opening one eye to see if Scipio reacted to the prompt. “What was it like? Did you have anyone you actually cared about?”

Xellis grit his teeth, his eyes slightly wider. Was this guy a psychopath? He heard of mortals joining the military so serve others, not just for personal killing intent..
He may not be able to kill a powerful god, but Xellis was just about as godly as a mortal was. Sure, he had a slight bit of power, but in his sleep? He could be taken down by a hamster.
He nodded along, trying not to show outward uncertainties as he overthought the situation.
“I’m sorry for all of that,” he said slowly, his voice calm. “It might sound insensitive, but I’m glad you died. You can actually leave that behind. If you want to, of course.”

Xellis raised an eyebrow. He was both uncertain and curious. He’d never been this close to an intoxicated mortal, and he didn’t really know how they would act. He clearly hadn’t been expecting this.
“I look… weird?” he asked, letting out a small smile. He sounded oddly relaxed for the situation. “How so?”

“Not at all,” Xellis replied, confidence flowing through his words. It was a nice compliment to hear, even if it implied he was not attractive otherwise. “But don’t worry. I won’t let you fall off the roof.”
He took a deep inhale, only letting it out after a few moments of clicking his nails on the glass once more. He kept his eyes closed, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long while. Having someone else near him— even if he was uncertain of their… moral alignments— was nice.

“No clue,” Xellis murmured, taking another sigh. “But you’ll probably be feeling this for a while. I think it’s called a hangover after a while, but the headaches get worse.”
He paused his tapping on the glass, spinning it around to read the label. The percentage wasn’t too high, but higher than most ales. Scipio would probably be fine after four, but the first ones would hit any second now.
Xellis put the bottle back down after taking a sip. He didn’t necessarily enjoy the taste of alcohol, so he went for those fruity eccentric flavors to mask it. He was more of a foofy drink kinda guy, but these would do the trick for a day like this.

“You can get sick, but it’s not like you can die again,” Xellis said, picking up the bottle to finish it off. He took the cap from his other hand, sticking it between his teeth and fiddling with it.
“And don’t worry, it doesn’t last as long as it does in the mortal world,” he said. “It’ll give you like… thirty minutes tops.”

“You seem like you need to get something off your chest,” he said, his voice slightly muffled by the cap, flicking his eyes down to Scipio with a raised eyebrow. “Is there anything you want me to know about you? Why do I have to ask questions?”
He let his head fall back down, closing his eyes once more.
“Just… tell me about yourself, I guess?”

“Huh,” he mumbled. “I’ve never met a dog. Arci is kind of like my pet.”
The bag, who had previously been sleeping, perked up when he heard his name. One of his hands creeped out, grabbing at Xellis’s face. The god did nothing to stop it. He was used to the bag’s mischievous ways by now.
Instead, he let his hand fall limp to the side. Arci grabbed it, playing with his bracelets and fingers. The mimic was like a curious child, nomming at Xellis’s fingers for a moment before trying to smack his entire hand against the rooftop. But the god payed no mind.
“But… more…. like a toddler,” Xellis muttered, glaring to the bag.

Xellis’s stomach flipped. “Wait… kill them? On purpose or accident?”
He held onto Arci’s hand slightly tighter, the God’s eyes clearly more nervous now.
How could he say that so casually? he thought to himself. I mean, sure he’s been at war for two years of his life, but still…

“I can tell,” Xellis murmured. He couldn’t say Scipio didn’t… scare him.
“And hey, you might find someone who actually cares about you for you,” he said, glancing down to the boy. “I know it’s… not the most populated place, but it’ll be fine. So far you’ve made a good impression on me.”

“You know—,” Xellis began, nodding slightly. “You’re right. Gods are tricky. And considering we’re all pretty powerful, we can’t be brought down by mortal means.”
He knew full well he was lying, but he said the words so casually they might as well had been truth anyway.
He looked down to the bottle. “Same goes for even the weakest of us. Lesser deities, too. So… sorry about that.”
He draped his hand across his stomach, the other one still occupied fully with Arci, who was now chewing on it with those weird leathery teeth.