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The path from Blue Kingdom to the Rue Bar wound through stretches of trees and open hills, the afternoon sun filtering through the canopy in fractured shafts of gold that painted the road in shifting patterns. A gentle breeze moved through the leaves overhead, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and wildflowers, while the distant sounds of rivers and birdsong blended into a peaceful backdrop.
It was one of those rare days where the kingdoms felt quiet and war seemed far away and neither Scott nor Nom felt particularly inclined to think about duties, responsibilities, or the endless complications that came with living in a world constantly balanced on the edge of conflict and war.
Scott kept slightly ahead for a time, his pale blue cloak catching in the wind as he stepped lightly over roots and stones with the effortless grace that seemed natural to him. His pointed ears twitched occasionally whenever Nom said something particularly ridiculous or amusing, which happened often enough that they rarely stayed still for long.
Nom followed at his side with far less concern for elegance, his armour producing the occasional metallic clink while his tail lazily swayed behind him, dragon wings folded comfortably against his back.
The conversation drifted easily enough at first, wandering from their duties to kingdom gossip and then into the familiar territory of needling each other for the sake of it.
Scott had a way of doing it that looked almost innocent if one did not know him well, all mild expression and careful tone, but Nom had long since learned that the moment Scott started sounding too casual, something irritating was already underway.
It began with a harmless remark, then another, and then another still, until the knight realised far too late that he had been led neatly into the trap.
“You know,” Scott said at last, glancing down at a flower growing beside the road as though he were only making an observation in passing, “I think Owain could probably beat you in a duel.”
Nom stopped walking and looked at him, while Scott kept moving ahead without even bothering to turn around.
“You don’t even believe that!” He exclaimed, arms flying out in front of him in disbelief.
“I didn’t say I believed it.”
“You implied it.” Nom frowned.
Scott gave a small shrug, and the faint curve of his mouth was answer enough.
Nom narrowed his eyes, though the mage only smiled wider, clearly pleased with himself. It was the sort of expression that made it obvious he was doing this on purpose, which only made it more irritating that it worked so well.
“Oh, you’re doing this deliberately,” Nom muttered, though there was no real heat in it.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Scott.”
“Nom.”
The knight let out a long-suffering groan, and Scott’s grin sharpened in response. Magic began to gather around the mage’s staff, a familiar blue shimmer that Nom recognised immediately and did not appreciate in the slightest. He pointed accusingly at Scott.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
The glow strengthened, and Nom knew the spell before Scott even finished shaping it.
Waterbubble.
Scott’s favourite way of causing trouble whenever he was feeling particularly mischievous, which was often enough that Nom had developed a healthy respect for the spell despite how harmless it technically was.
Mostly harmless, anyway.
Being trapped inside a floating sphere of water while a mage casually directed where you went was not exactly an experience he was eager to repeat.
Scott lifted a brow, clearly enjoying himself far too much. Nom took one step back, and the mage’s grin turned positively wicked.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I absolutely would.”
"Of course you would" Nom grumbled
Nom stared at him for a beat, then sighed.
Rather than give Scott the satisfaction of backing down, he marched straight forward. Scott barely had time to react before Nom closed the distance entirely, stepping right into his space until there was hardly any room left between them.
The mage’s concentration broke at once as Nom leaned down, their faces suddenly far too close for the spell to be cast safely, and the water magic fizzled out before it could properly form.
Scott blinked up at him, eyes wide as a bug, momentarily thrown, while Nom smirked with obvious satisfaction.
“Well?”
Scott opened his mouth, then closed it again, then tried once more as though he might find a better answer if he gave it another go.
“You are impossible.” Scott muttered.
“You can’t cast it if I’m standing here.”
“I can still move.”
“So can I.”
Scott tried to sidestep him, but Nom matched the movement immediately, and when Scott changed direction again, the knight followed without hesitation. The mage laughed despite himself, attempting to create even the smallest bit of distance, only for Nom to remain stubbornly in his way, close enough that Scott could not properly focus on anything except the fact that the knight was being entirely unreasonable on purpose.
“You’re ridiculous,” he said, though the words came out more amused than annoyed.
Scott shook his head, trying and failing not to laugh as Nom looked far too pleased with himself, his horns catching light as he held his head up high.
For a few minutes the whole thing devolved into a dance along the path, each of them trying to outmanoeuvre the other while neither managed anything beyond making the other laugh harder. Scott kept attempting to find enough space to cast the spell, and Nom kept closing the gap every single time, until eventually both of them gave up on the game entirely.
Scott leaned against a nearby tree, breathless from laughing, while Nom stood beside him with the smug expression of someone who had won something important.
Nom stared at Scott for a moment, eyeing the way his chest rose and fell, and the crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled. Nom felt his chest ache with adoration. For a moment neither of them spoke, the quiet settling around them with the rustle of leaves and the distant sounds of the road.
Then Scott glanced up at him, still smiling in that way it squeezes Nom's heart, and said, “Good to know if I ever need you close to me, just threaten a bubble spell and that brings you in.”
Nom laughed at once, the sound easy and warm. “I mean, it works.”
Scott’s smile widened. “It does!”
That was enough to send them both into another round of laughter before they finally set off again towards the Rue Bar, still grinning to themselves as they walked.
The tavern eventually emerged from the landscape ahead of them, nestled comfortably beside the river separating the two kingdoms.
Warm lanternlight glowed from the windows, illuminating the wooden structure with a welcoming golden hue that contrasted beautifully against the deepening colours of sunset.
Members of both kingdoms normally came and went, stories exchanged over the low murmur of conversation, drinks were shared, and life continued in the easy, familiar rhythm that made the Rue Bar feel almost untouched by the chaos beyond its walls.
Luckily for them, it was quiet today and neither Scott nor Nom lingered long outside to admire it, however, because after a brief glance between them they pushed through the front door together and stepped into the tavern’s warmth, where the scent of ale, woodsmoke, and wax wrapped around them at once.
The inside of the Rue Bar was just as inviting as the outside suggested, with its sturdy wooden beams, the crowded tables, and the constant hum of bees buzzing happily beneath the floor boards.
Scott’s eyes flicked upward almost immediately, catching on the lattice of support beams and the narrow ledges that ran along the upper walls, while Nom’s grin sharpened as he caught Scott's eye.
And without needing to say a word, they slipped into motion, weaving between patrons and benches before springing up onto the nearest banister and using the interior architecture as though it had been built specifically for their amusement. (Well, they weren't wrong, the rogues had built it for their own enjoyment of climbing.)
Nom moved first, vaulting onto a beam with practised ease, his wings shifting slightly for balance as he hauled himself higher, while Scott followed with lighter, quicker movements that carried him from chair backs to railings and then up onto the rafters above the main room.
The tavern below them continued on in blissful silence, their laughter rolling through the air as the pair made their way across the inside of the building, climbing towards the upper level and the roof access with the same reckless confidence they had shown on the road.
The knight's athleticism made the climb look effortless as he vaulted between supports and pulled himself upward with practised ease. Scott compensated through agility, darting between ledges and beams while his cloak fluttered elegantly behind him.
The top of the Rue Bar drew closer with every handhold and foothold, the warm glow from the tavern windows spilling across the stone and wood beneath them, and the whole thing felt less like a race and more like an excuse to keep looking at each other with that bright spark that always seemed to sit just beneath the surface whenever they were alone together.
Nom reached the top first and swung himself onto the final layer before the roof with obvious satisfaction, the movement smooth and sure, his tail flicking once behind him as he straightened.
Scott was still lower down, close enough to hear the smugness in the knight’s voice when he leaned over the edge and looked down at him.
“You’re getting slow,” he called, and the teasing in his tone was so familiar that Scott’s answering grin came easily, even as he narrowed his eyes and decided, with complete and utter justification, that cheating was now entirely acceptable.
Magic flashed at his staff, golden light gathering in a quick, bright pulse, and Nom’s expression shifted at once as he cast the spell. Teleportation activated before he could properly react, and Scott vanished from below in a shimmer of light.
He reappeared directly in front of Nom, far too close for either of them to think clearly.
The knight had been standing near the edge, looking down, and Scott materialised so abruptly that there was barely any space between them at all, their faces almost nose to nose, breath mingling in the narrow gap between them.
For one stunned heartbeat neither of them moved, both caught in the gentle, impossible closeness of it, and then Scott’s balance simply gave out.
The edge was behind him, the rooftop vanished beneath his feet, and his stomach lurched with the immediate, helpless fall of it all.
Fuck it was a far drop.
He barely had time to make a startled sound before Nom reacted, his wings flaring up slightly.
One arm shot around Scott’s waist with a grip that was firm enough to stop the fall instantly, and strong enough that there was never any real danger of him slipping.
Scott found himself suspended over open air with the stairwell and the final landing yawning below him.
They were not quite on the roof yet, only on the highest floor of the Rue Bar where the last set of steps led up to the roof access, and Nom remained planted solidly on the landing, braced and steady, holding him effortlessly with a single arm as though he weighed nothing at all.
Scott's face started to feel warm at the thought and his eyes shifted to look anywhere but Nom's, though it was a fruitless effort as he kept glancing at Nom's lips. They were so close to his, merely a breath away. He knew the knight was strong, that much was obvious to all around them. But it felt so different witnessing his strength like this, even if it is undoubtedly a simple thing, not that much impressive to most.
The position left them impossibly close, Scott’s hand clutching at Nom’s shoulder on instinct while the knight’s arm stayed locked around his waist, secure through the layers of cloth and armour. His wings wrapped around the both of them, attempting to keep Scott safe and comfortable.
Above them the ceiling beams and the slanted line of the roof access framed the last of the evening light spilling in through the open hatch, and below them the drop to the lower floor was enough to make Scott’s pulse jump, though not nearly as much as the fact that Nom was holding him like this, so close that he could feel the heat of him, the strength in his arm, the careful steadiness in the way he kept him safe without even seeming to think about it.
Neither of them spoke.
Scott stared up at him, breath caught somewhere in his chest, and Nom stared back with an expression that had gone strangely still, as though he had forgotten for a moment how to do anything except hold on.
The silence stretched between them and it felt strangely intimate.
Scott became painfully aware of the fact that he was safe, that Nom had caught him without hesitation, and that the knight’s arm and wings were still wrapped around him with a possessive sort of care that made something warm and fluttering stir in his chest.
A faint blush began to rise across his cheeks, and when Nom noticed it, his own face warmed in response, the colour creeping up beneath his skin as though he had only just realised how close they were standing.
Scott eventually cleared his throat, the sound small in the open air of the upper landing, and used his grip on Nom’s shoulder to pull himself carefully back towards the floor.
The movement brought him even closer for a moment before the knight adjusted his stance to help him up, and Scott could feel the tension in Nom’s arm as he made sure there was no risk of him slipping again.
Once Scott’s boots found solid ground, Nom stepped back just enough to give him space, though not so far that the warmth between them disappeared entirely. Scott brushed at his clothes with unnecessary precision, more because he needed something to do with his hands than because he was actually dusty, and when he finally looked up his voice came out softer than he intended.
“Thank you.” He murmured bashfully.
Nom looked away for a second, as though the simple gratitude had landed somewhere unexpectedly tender.
“It’s nothing,” he said, though the slight redness in his ears made the lie impossible to believe.
When he glanced back, his expression had softened into something fond and almost shy beneath the usual confidence.
“I’m just glad you’re safe, Scott. Couldn’t let my mage fall now, could I?” The words caught Scott off guard more than the rescue itself, the wording of my mage settling warmly in his chest and making him wonder, not for the first time, whether Nom meant exactly what it sounded like.
The smirk that followed was lighter, teasing in the way that always made Scott’s heart trip over itself, and before he could think too hard about what he was doing, Nom bowed slightly and reached for his hand, lifting it with a gentleness that felt almost reverent before pressing a brief kiss to Scott’s knuckles, warm and careful and so unexpectedly tender that it stole his breath clean away.
Scott’s ears twitched at once, and a bright blush flooded his cheeks before he could stop it and his eyes widened. Scott simply stared at Nom with bug like eyes for a second before Nom let go of his hand as if nothing remarkable had happened, though whether that was because he truly didn’t realise the effect he had or because he did and was enjoying it too much, it was impossible to tell.
Scott giggled softly, the sound carrying easily across the rooftop, and when he looked at Nom again there was no hiding the affection in his expression.
“What would I do without my knight?” he asked with that same soft smile that he only ever gave Nom. Scott deliberately snuck in the implications of Nom being his, matching the other's comment.
The question was playful only on the surface, because beneath it sat something genuine and open, something that made Nom’s whole face soften in a way that left him looking almost vulnerable.
Scott stepped forward before either of them could overthink it and pressed a gentle kiss to Nom’s cheek. Nom went utterly still. For several seconds he seemed to stop functioning altogether, blinking once, then twice, as though his mind had to catch up with what had just happened.
Scott had kissed his cheek, and the warmth of it still lingered there in a way that made it difficult to think about anything else.
He was sure he was grinning like an idiot, because there was no sensible way to hide the way his face had gone hot so much that his glasses may as well had fogged up or the way his chest felt far too light all of a sudden.
Scott could practically see the moment it registered, the way Nom’s expression shifted from stunned disbelief into a grin so wide it almost hurt.
The sight made Scott smile wider in return, giggling softly. And when Nom finally recovered enough to offer his hand again, he found himself simply watching Scott’s joy, the bright smile on his face and the easy sound of his laugh making something warm and fond settle in his chest, before Scott took it immediately without hesitation.
Together they crossed towards the sloped rooftop overlooking the tavern’s veranda, the evening settling fully around them now as lanterns glowed below and music drifted faintly from inside the Rue Bar.
The stars were beginning to appear overhead, one by one, and the whole world seemed to soften into something quieter and more intimate as Scott guided Nom down first.
The mage steadied the knight with an easy hand, helping him into a seated position beside him, the roof tiles still holding traces of warmth from the day, and then he settled comfortably against Nom’s shoulder with the easy trust of someone who knew exactly where he belonged.
The coolness of the armour beneath him didn’t bother Scott in the slightest, because it was Nom and it was safe, because the knight’s presence had become something his body recognised before his mind even had to think about it.
Nom rested his head gently against Scott’s, one arm and wing wrapping around him and drawing him a little closer with a steady, protective pressure that made Scott relax instantly. Neither of them felt any need to speak. The moment didn’t ask for words, only for quiet and closeness.
Above them stretched an endless sky full of stars, and beside them sat the person they trusted most, the person who had caught him without hesitation and held him like he mattered.
Scott closed his eyes and let himself lean fully into the moment. Nom’s grip tightened just slightly around him, and the knight stayed there with him while the breeze moved gently over the roof and carried away whatever remained of the day’s tension. And so they remained shoulder to shoulder atop the Rue Bar, watching the kingdoms settle into night.