Nico pushed back the covers and slid out of bed. He stretched his arms up high, his trousers falling slightly on his hips as he did so. He rubbed the sleep out his eyes. He had a purely lazy, boyish smile on his face as he watched Bel. "Let's bathe first and then we can go. It'll give us a little bit of time to wake up."
Nico turned his back to him, his scars on full display in the light. "I promise no funny business. I can keep my hands to myself." He most definitely could not but that didn't mean he couldn't make it fast.
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.
Nico followed behind Bel to the bathroom like a puppy. He would likely follow Bel anywhere as long as he let Nico. He ran the bath and finished undressing as he waited for the water to fill up. He stepped into the tub and held out his hand for Bel to help him in. He was truly going ti try to keep his hands to himself. Well, at least not touch Bel in a sexual way.
He reached over and the water off as soon as it was filled. He grabbed some shampoo and started washing his hair, smiling at Bel the whole time.
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.
Noco rinsed out his hair before grabbed a sponge and loading it with soap. But instead of washing himself, he grabbed Bel's arm and slowly began to wash his skin. Suds gathered, a contrast against the man's dark skin. He washed one arm, then the other. He gestured next for Bel's leg. He enjoyed this. He wanted to take care of Bel in anyway he would let him.
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.
Nico took his time washing every crevice, every piece of skin. It was purely fir his own selfish pleasure. His pleasure ti just touch Bel and take every part of him into memory. Once he finished, he offered the loofah to Bel. "Will you wash me?" He asked in a small voice.
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.
Nico closed his eyes as the sponge was transferred to Bel. He sighed softly, feeling their skin touch. It was calm and soothing. Then suddenly there were lips on his and Nico was kissing him back. His arms were circling around Bel. He was kissing him back just as passionately.
He pulled Bel into his lap. This hadn't been his intention. Well, that was a lie. He did. But he hadn't been the one to start this.
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.
Nico brought his hand up to cup Bel's cheek. He stroked the skin softly, smiling down at him as they pulled away. It didn't matter how excited he had gotten and there was definitely a certain appendage up and poking at Bel. All he was focused on was the prince in front of him and his needs.
He kissed his temple softly, feeling the smooth skin against his cracked lips. "And then let's get you fed. I don't need you turning into a little monster on me because I didn't feed you fast enough." His lips turned up at the small tease. As Bel finished washing Nico, he pulled the drain and stepped out of the bath. After wrapping a towel around hos waist, he offered his hand out for the other to take.
"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.
Nico looked at him with playful suspicion. "Hmm, see that's exactly what a monster would say. I'm not sure I believe you." He grabbed Bel's hips and started attacking him with kisses, quickly of course, so not to keep him waiting for food.
Laughing, he released Bel and pulled some clothes out of his bag and dressed. He grabbed a comb and handed it to Bel. "Will you braid my hair for me?"
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.
Nico could help but admire his work on Bel. He loved leaving little marks. And while he hadn't necessarily meant to leave them so high where everyone could see, he wasn't sorry about it. He liked looking at it. But a small voice in his head told him Bel would hate them once he learned the truth. He smothered that voice as he took a seat.
His eyes closed as Bel went to work on his hair. Even as there was a snag or two, he enjoyed himself and wouldn't want ti be anywhere else. As long as Bel was touching him, he didn't care what he was doing to Nico. He opened his eyes at the soft kiss and tilted his head back to look at the prince. "Give me a kiss," he murmured. Just one more.
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.
This was nice, having someone else take care of his hair for him. Nico usually threw it into a ponytail, at least when deployed on missions. It was the easiest way ti take care of it. At home, he would braid small pieces to keep it out if his face and honor his mother, but even then, he had troubles keeping up with it. This united both of them, he thought.
Nico smiled against Bel's lips, teeth clashing. It didn't matter to him if the position was uncomfortable or if his neck hurt. He loved this. He loved Bel's kisses. He would've get enough if it. Finally, he stood and held out his hand for Bel to take. "Come in, let's get some food."
"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.
Nico led Bel out of the room and down the stairs and into the heart of the tavern. Other than a few hungover patrons scattered in the tavern, it was mostly empty. Sounds like some of them have a few too much to drink. Squinting his eyes, he noticed Cassian and Braxton slumped over on a table. Embarrassment flooded him but he did nothing. He would let them suffer for now. There was no healer here in this town either so they would have to work it out the hard way.
The barmaid looked up at Bel's question. "The Crimson Horse across the way has some a really good sandwich selection. I recommend there." The woman smiled at both of them before continuing her work as Nico pulled Bel out the door.
"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.
Nico laughed as he was suddenly dragged out of the tavern. He heard his two men grown at the loud noise but only laughed louder because of it. Serves then right for drinking so much. He knew why they drank, why he drank themselves. Sometimes it was fun, just to have a pint or two with friends. But sometimes it was to forget. And seeing them so incapacitated meant he knew which one it was. He would talk to them later, check in and see if they were okay. But for now, he was getting a sandwich.
"Try not to pull my arm out of the socket." Nico ran to catch up to to him. As they came to the restaurant, the Hostess seated them at a table inside. It was mildly business but there was no wait and that's all Nico's rumbling stomach cared about.
"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.
Nico only laughed and shook his head. Perhaps he should have woken up earlier to get Bel fed. For someone who said he wouldn't turn into a monster if he wasn't fed, he sure was being aggressive.
Nico was content with just a glass of water. If Bel wasn't drinking neither would he, at least on their dates. It didn't mean he would never drink. He would still with his friends on occasion but he would be careful how much he indulged. Bel didn't like it, that much was obvious. He would hopefully cone to learn why at some point but that wasn't a conversation for now.
Noco settled on a simple blt sandwich, handing his menu off to the male waiter that was giving Bel far too much attention. His eyes narrowed slightly. He never though himself as jealous but what else could this feeling be.
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?"
Nico would have laughed if it hadn't been for the waiter staring entirely too long at Bel. He didn't like it, not one bit. He also didn't like feeling jealous. Bel was doing things to him that had never been done before. Nico reached across the table to deliberately take the prince's hand while the waiter was still watching. Bel was his. Maybe he should have made more noticeable marks on his neck. Then no one would be staring so nicely at him.
Nico relaxed when the waiter went away with their orders and it was just the two of them again. Bel was looking around watching the people around them. Nico was just watching Bel with a soft expression. He wished they could just stay there forever. Stay in this little bubble. Go out to eat every night and have soups and sandwiches for lunch. He could make them breakfast every morning. It would be a nice life, a quiet life. But Nico knew as long as the king remained on his throne, the world would never be at peace. People would keep dying and mages would be hunted down and the kingdom would live in terror. And only Nico had the power to stop it. He had the men, he the magic, he had the right name, all he needed was an opportunity. So Nico would never have a nice, quiet life. No, his was destined for more.
"Yes, we'll leave in the morning. Not before you have some breakfast first." Nico had a gently smile on his lips. "A day, maybe less. It depends on how fast the horses can carry us."
