Steep Learning Curve
Charles sat on the couch, staring up at the biggest, nicest vidscreen he'd probably ever own in his entire life, Eezo curled up next to him. Christ, he didn't even want to know what Ares paid for the damn thing. Fuck, it kind of made him want to shoot his old vidscreen, too, but he didn't dare admit it to Ares. He pulled the pack of cigarillos and lighter from his pocket, kicking off his shoes. He stuck one in his mouth, but before he brought the lighter up, Ares opened his, and leaned over, sparking it in front of Charles. The gesture brought a smile to Charles' face. He loved it when Ares lit his cigarillos for him, it made him feel special, even if he didn't really know who else Ares might do the same for. Cupping the flame, he let his hand rest over Ares' while he lit his cigarillo, taking a deep drag.
Ares hummed, barely loud enough for Charles to hear, and closed the lighter, tucking it back in his pocket. Charles turned his attention back to the vidscreen, tuned into the news. A moment later, the reporter started talking about the 'ongoing investigation into the brutal murder of Ethan Rorschach'. Charles listened to it, unease settling a heavy weight around his shoulders. When the reporter started talking about something else instead, Charles glanced at Ares.
Taking another drag from his cigarillo, he licked his lips and asked, "How long will C-Sec keep the investigation open?"
"Depends on how important this fucker was, how much publicity it gets." Ares lit a cigarette and leaned back on the couch, propping up his feet on the table.
"The guy had serious money. Floor to ceiling vidscreen in the front, one half as big in his bedroom. Fancy art on his walls. Had a Symtech X35 series laptop. That's twenty thousand credits alone, easy. He didn't seem important, though. Stockbroker, if I recall." Charles let out a derisive snort and lit another cigarillo off the ember of the first before putting it out in the ashtray. "His kid's room looked completely bare besides a little bed and a chest of drawers. No toys, nothing on the walls, just nothing."
"Then ask yourself who'll be looking for his killer." Ares glanced at Charles, taking a drag off his cigarette.
Charles squirmed a little, drawing his feet up on the edge of the couch, knees to his chest. "I don't know. His wife's dead; 'blunt force trauma to the head'. Kid's only five or six. I guess his boss might care enough to pitch a fit. I didn't look into him too much after that night, afraid to." He shrugged. "I don't want to draw any attention to myself. He shouldn't have even been there, C-Sec only kept him a few hours."
Ares sighed, somehow managing to convey both annoyance and disappointment with the one sound, making Charles wince.
"I don't know these things, Ares," Charles said, turning a little on the couch to look at him. "I wasn't trained, I don't know the shit you do, don't think the way you do." He sucked in a deep breath. "I just … it wasn't something I planned out very well, I get that. I screwed up."
Grunting, Ares opened his omni-tool, fingers running over the holographic keys before he glanced up at the vidscreen. "Pick one."
Charles turned his attention back to the vidscreen, brow furrowed in confusion as he took in the ten mugshots filling the screen. The heading identified them as C-Sec's most wanted, and under each picture, he found a brief list of the charges. Understanding dawned—or at least he thought he understood—replacing his confusion with excitement, and his eyes widened. Shifting forward to drop his feet to the floor, he leaned on his knees, scanning the images and descriptions. He stopped when he found a human named Aiden Jackson who'd been charged with serial rape and murder. Charles studied the man's face for a minute, taking in the hard lines of his features, the cold, dead eyes, and the scar trailing down his stubble-covered cheek.
Charles licked his lips, pointing at the image of Aiden. "Him."
Ares hummed, glancing at the selection before returning to his silence. He typed into his omni-tool for a few minutes, leaving Charles sitting there feeling anxious, literally sitting on the edge of his seat. He turned his attention back to the image, trying to commit the details to memory. When he finished his cigarillo and started debating on whether to light another, Ares drew his attention with a low rumble.
He glanced at Charles. "Get some clothes."
Charles grinned, jumping up from the couch and taking two steps toward his bedroom before stopping. Turning back, he leaned down over Ares and kissed his forehead—right over the mended crack Cole put in his plates. Ares didn't move, but Charles thought he heard a faint chuff from the turian as he turned back, rushing to his room.
He changed out of his work clothes and gathered up an extra set, shoving it into a backpack. Fetching his razor, he slipped it into his pocket before making his way back to the living room to ask, "Anything else?"
Ares stubbed out his cigarette and stood, slipping on his jacket. "I ordered a contact to get the rest of what you need." He headed for the door. "We're going to the drop off first."
Charles followed behind Ares, looking down at Eezo when she ran up to join them, tongue lolling out of her mouth, wagging her tail. "No, Eezo. You're staying here." He nudged the dog with the side of his foot. "What else will I need? Is it something I can't get myself if I need to later?"
"You can so long as you don't buy them together," Ares said, stepping out into the hall.
Charles nodded, thinking he understood the reasoning. "Alright." He locked the door behind them then hurried to catch back up to Ares' longer stride.
They moved through the building in silence, which wasn't really a surprise for Charles. Ares remained a man of few words, and he especially didn't like to talk when there might be anyone else around to hear him. And since they were basically discussing killing a man, Charles figured it was a pretty good reason to stay quiet. When they reached a taxi stand, Ares called a skycar and climbed inside the driver's seat. Charles went around to the other side and opened the door, settling inside, turning his attention back to Ares.
Ares opened his omni-tool, and a moment later Charles' pinged. "You need something, you send this extranet number a message. That's it. They'll send the location to me, and I'll give it to you then."
Charles lifted an eyebrow, fighting to hold back the strength of his surprise. He didn't want to make Ares doubt the decision, but still, the questions spilled from his mouth. "Who is it? Wait, I'm not supposed to know, am I? Do they know who I am?" Admittedly, he felt a little unnerved by the idea of Ares' contacts knowing his name.
"No." Ares glanced at him. "To all of it."
Charles relaxed a little, but he continued to feel fidgety with his excitement and nerves. He still had about a million questions. None of them seemed dire, though, and Ares really wasn't real big on questions. "Okay," he said, absently nodding his head. Then after a few seconds, he licked his lips and asked, "You're really okay with me doing this sort of thing?"
Ares shrugged. "Don't get yourself caught."
Charles let out a raspy sounding chuckle, throat tightening as he considered the possibility. It was something he thought about a lot since Shanxi but even more since Ethan. "I'll do my damnedest not to." He hoped Ares would teach him what he needed to know to make sure he never got caught.
Ares hummed, and Charles wasn't certain, but he thought he detected a hint of reservation to the sound. If Ares thought he'd get caught, why didn't he tell Charles to stop? Because … because he probably knew the truth Charles wasn't really ready to face but felt deep down all the same. The thing he became on Shanxi, the beast inside of him … he needed to kill. Needed the blood and the screams; needed to feel his razor cutting through skin and fat and muscle. Closing his eyes, he took in a slow, deep breath. He wouldn't stop, even if Ares told him to, though he'd try really hard. For Ares … he'd try just about anything.
He reached over, settling his hand on Ares' thigh as the skycar took off. After a few seconds, he caught himself fiddling with the seam on Ares' pants and made himself stop before he irritated the turian again. It seemed like he annoyed Ares all the time, it kind of made him wonder if there was anything about him Ares actually liked besides fucking. He thought there must be, he just didn't know what. Before long, he started tapping his foot against the floor, restless, and he shoved his other hand into his pocket, turning the razor over and over between his fingers.
Settling the skycar down in a public transit station, Ares opened his door. "Stay here." He climbed out, closing the door behind him before Charles could ask any questions.
Charles watched Ares until he disappeared into the crowd. Gnawing on his thumbnail, he kept scanning the area until a few minutes later he saw Ares again, walking with a bag slung over his shoulder. He opened the skycar door, tossing the bag in on Charles' lap before climbing inside. Without a word, he started the skycar, and they took off again.
Charles glanced at Ares before opening the bag, digging around inside. He found latex gloves, some of those weird things surgeons put on over their shoes, plastic smocks, and trash bags. He was less than enthused by the idea of dealing with all of it, but if it let him do his thing and helped him to not get caught, he'd damn sure wear whatever the hell Ares told him to wear. He made a mental list of the items, making sure he'd remember them next time.
"How are we going to find him?" Normally, he figured he'd use one of the programs Ares gave him, but with Aiden on C-Sec's most wanted list, the program he used to trace Ethan wouldn't be much help.
"For tonight, I did the groundwork with a contact." Ares glanced at him. "You're on your own for the others. Use those programs I gave you."
Others.
He said it with so much ease, such nonchalance. Maybe Ares really didn't care what Charles did … so long as he didn't get caught. It wasn't like Ares didn't enjoy killing just as much as him, maybe even more, but it just seemed different to him. Ares killed professionally, he didn't go off killing people because he couldn't shake the images and had some beast scratching away at the inside of his head. He did it because someone hired him to, even if he did enjoy his work … right?
Charles licked his lips. "I did, with Ethan anyway. It's how I got into his place as easily as I did, and knew he was still at C-Sec when I got there to scope out the place." He studied Ares' profile, anxious to show the turian that he took it seriously and really wanted to learn. "They must've let him go right after I checked. But … this Aiden guy can't be found that way; if C-Sec knew where he was, he wouldn't be on their wanted list. Right?" He brought his thumb to his mouth, tearing off what little nail he had left on his left hand. "So, I guess I'll just not use the wanted list."
"Gain notoriety with those you can find." Ares hummed. "Then, you'll gain enough attention that I can trust you with one of my smaller contacts."
Charles blinked a few times, lips parted as he processed. "... you want me to gain notoriety? Isn't that … I mean … shouldn't I want to not draw attention—on any level?"
Ares sighed, the same tone Charles expected from a parent growing weary of a child's constant questions. He hated it when Ares got so impatient with him. It was hard enough for him to open himself up to someone, and it stung like hell when it was so poorly received. It made Charles want to clam up and stop asking anything, but if he did, he'd be more likely to fuck up and get something really wrong. Then he'd definitely get caught.
"You're going to create patterns no matter what. Even if you don't leave evidence, if you continue to kill the same way, there will be connections. That will get the attention of those who are actually looking at this sort of thing." Ares looked over at him. "There are some out there who will want to help you."
Charles swallowed, thinking about it for a moment, unease and dread pulling at him. "How am I supposed to trust they want to help and not turn me in?" He lowered his voice, finding it difficult to put it all into words. "I'm not blind to what I'm doing here. I know most people will think I'm just sick in the head. I'm not doing this for pay like you. It's not my job, I'm just … scratching an itch."
Ares rumbled. "Because they won't know about you unless you want their contact."
Charles brought his thumb back to his mouth, tearing at his cuticle with his teeth. "People you trust?"
"As well as I can trust," Ares said with a shrug.
Charles nodded, he knew coming from Ares, it said a lot. "What do they charge you for this sort of thing?" He started gnawing on the nail of his index finger. "I'll need to start putting credits aside or something. Limit myself."
"Depends on the difficulty of getting the information." Ares hummed and set the skycar down outside of an apartment complex. "It can go from favors to an actual load of credits."
Deflated, Charles asked, "What kinds of favors?" He certainly didn't have 'a load of credits'.
Ares turned his attention out the window. "They won't ask you for those off the bat, they need to trust you first."
"Right." So, basically, they'd be useless to Charles. "Yeah, of course." He looked at the apartment complex, taking a deep breath to clear his head. "He's here?"
"Yes." Ares sat back in his seat, turning a little to watch him. "Tell me what you're going to do."
Nervous about being judged, he chewed on his lip, taking his time to work the answer over in his head before he said anything. "I need to check the place out. Figure out where the exits are. Figure out who else is inside, and where they're located. See what kind of security is in place, if anything." He frowned. "Should I even be going in there tonight? Should I come back another time, after I've had a chance to check the place out?"
Ares' fingers twitched. "I gave you a program to hack into security feeds, didn't I?"
"Yeah." Charles pulled in a deep breath, looking at the apartment and the neighborhood, running through his own mental checklist from his time spent breaking into places. "The apartment itself probably doesn't have security. The building might, but it's probably shitty, and if there's guards, they probably do a crap job of watching the feeds. Getting in won't be a problem, obviously, especially with the programs." He fell silent for a moment, thinking. "I shouldn't go in if he's not alone, but if there's not an internal security feed, I don't know how to tell if he's alone."
"Sounds like you're in for a long night scoping this place out," Ares said, voice flat.
Charles sat there for a moment, staring out at the apartment before opening his omni-tool. He took a minute to dig through the various programs Ares gave him before running one designed to search for active video surveillance feeds. Finding one for the apartment building's security, he tapped into it. He took a moment to check the different feeds on that signal, finding cameras in the foyer, each hall, and around the building.
He glanced at Ares and asked, "Which apartment?"
"47B." Ares lit a cigarette, lowering the window. "Check the message I sent you."
With as nervous as Charles felt, smelling Ares' cigarette just made him want his own smoke. He pulled out his pack and stuck one between his lips, flipping over to his inbox. Digging around in his pocket for his lighter, he looked up when Ares flicked his in front of Charles, the low flame springing to life. Smiling around the cigarillo, he leaned into the flame and muttered a 'thanks' before turning his attention back to this omni-tool. Along with an unlabeled extranet address—for the contact, Charles assumed—Ares sent him blueprints for the building. He hummed, looking them over, checking out the entrances and noting the balconies. Finding the page for the fourth floor, he zoomed in on 47B, studying the layout.
Taking a long drag, he moved back to the security feeds and studied what he could see of the hall, but the hall stayed quiet, no one out and moving around. Shifting to another feed, he looked at one of the cameras set up outside around the back of the building, checking out the design of the balconies and grumbling. "No fire escape ladders."
Looking up and around at the other buildings nearby, he chose the one he thought might give him a better angle and tried hacking into its feeds instead. Succeeding, he saw the target apartment building's back exit clearly and it gave him a better view of the balconies. Counting the doors, he pointed to the one he thought matched up to 47B and asked Ares, "That one, yeah?"
Blowing out smoke, Ares glanced at the omni-tool. "Yep."
Charles let his gaze roam over the ground outside before working his way up the building back to 47B and said, "I can get up there. Down from there, too, if I need to." He used a finger to trace out his route, showing Ares the patio railing on the ground floor he'd push off of to get him started. From there, it'd be easy to grab onto the first balcony and pull himself up. There were window ledges in between to help him get more height when needed while moving from one balcony to the next, making his way up.
Ares followed along with the directions and nodded. "Good."
"It's the only real window I can get access to from the outside and maybe see inside. Well, I might be able to see something if the blinds aren't drawn good enough. Balcony locks are usually shittier than front door locks, too." He looked at Ares and raised an eyebrow.
Ares flicked a mandible. "What?"
Charles pursed his lips a little and waved a hand. "I'm waiting for you to tell me it's a stupid idea and all the reasons why."
Ares shrugged. "You could go through all that trouble, or you could just get through the front door."
"Thought I'm supposed to scope the place out first?" Charles furrowed his brow in confusion, frustration at Ares' evasiveness and lack of direction starting to make the muscles along his spine tight. "I can sit here and stare at the security feeds all night if it's the better option?" He shrugged. "But will it really tell me anything about what's going on inside?"
Ugh, why can't you just tell me what I should do?
Ares hummed and flicked ashes out the window. "And what if there's more than one person in the apartment and you're stuck out on the balcony?"
Charles let out a groan, reaching up to rub at his forehead. He wouldn't be stuck on the balcony, but it obviously wasn't the point Ares wanted to make. "I don't know. So, what, I should just go in through the front blind?"
"You have scanning tech in your tool. You can scan from the hall." Ares shrugged. "Or you could get creative."
Charles' brow furrowed, and he idly wondered if his face wasn't going to just get stuck that way. "Scanning tech for what? Internal security feeds? At a place like this?"
Ares sighed, clearly as annoyed as Charles. "Have you even looked at the programs I gave you?"
Of course Charles looked through the programs. He'd looked through them all, but most of them didn't make any sense, and he couldn't figure out what they were for. Without Ares around to ask questions—and apparently, that wasn't doing much good, either—he was pretty much left in the dark with the tech.
Charles huffed, pouting, and hating himself for pouting. "They didn't come with fucking manuals." Christ, he felt so vulnerable, trying to open himself up to being taught and learning, and Ares just made him feel like Eezo operated with a higher IQ than he did. "I told you, I used some of them to get into Ethan's."
Ares took a deep breath like he was about to speak, but then he paused and threw out his cigarette. It seemed a lot like he at least tried to make himself sound calm when he said, "You have a scanner for life signs. It's short range, but you can scan through the wall from the hall of the apartment complex."
Admittedly, the idea impressed Charles, and he closed the camera feeds, looking through the rest of the programs. "Which one?"
Ares leaned over to tap a key on Charles' omni-tool. "It's useless out here."
"Yeah, I understand. Just didn't know which one." Charles studied the program while he talked, figuring out how to activate and deactivate the scan, checking out the screen as it showed him a bunch of nothing from where he sat, just outlines of the edges of the skycar and a red blob when he aimed it at his own lap. "Okay, so, go in, disrupt security's feeds, pass by the apartment with this running or do I need to stop in the hall for it to take time to work right?"
Without warning, Ares opened the skycar door and climbed out, leaning against the vehicle to talk to him. "You can pass by the door of the apartment, but it may disrupt your readings. It works on pings. You moving can cause it to read the same person in different locations compared to your moving positions." He closed the door.
Charles got out of the vehicle, slinging the bags over his shoulder. "Alright. Well, with the cameras down, shouldn't be an issue. I'll check again for an internal security feed when I'm closer." He started walking, moving over next to Ares. "Anything else I need to know first?"
Ares hummed. "How do you plan to incapacitate him?"
Charles thought about it as he walked, activating the program to disrupt the security building's main feeds before they got close enough to be seen by the cameras. He wished Ares had broached the subject while they were still at home, giving him time to prepare. He scraped his teeth over his lip. Too late to turn back, he needed to think of something. "I don't have anything to hit him with, and I doubt I'd knock him out with a punch …. Plus, I don't really want to get close to this dude before he's down. So, I'm thinking I'll have to find something inside to hit him with."
"Awful lot of trust in the unknown." Ares followed Charles into the apartments.
"It's all unknown to me." Charles let out a helpless sounding sigh. "That's the problem. It's why you're out here with me right now, isn't it?" He glanced over his shoulder at Ares, despite the tough love approach the turian seemed to be fond of, he felt damned glad Ares was there. "So, something learned, next time bring a fucking baseball bat or something. Probably handcuffs or rope, too."
Ares hummed. "Word of advice, start working out."
Charles scoffed, pride wounded, and muttered, "I do work out. A guy with my build … we can only ever get so big without steroids or some shit."
"So you can tell me, right now, you do strength training." Ares rumbled, doubt clear in his tone.
"Yes." Charles clenched his jaw, feeling his shoulders tighten and his face shift into a frown. "Though obviously, it hasn't been like a goal of mine to hulk out." He sucked in a deep breath, trying to push aside the sting of feeling inadequate. "I'll start adding weight to my reps. You could teach me how to fight. That might help, too."
Ares didn't say anything else, just followed Charles to the elevator. They rode up in silence, stepping out onto the fourth floor. Charles left the security disruptor running in the background and did a quick scan to check for internal security systems. Unsurprisingly, none of the apartments registered as having internal feeds, let alone an alarm system of any sorts. He opened the program Ares showed him in the skycar, setting it to start scanning for life signs when they reached 47B. Holding the omni-tool up, he stood still, watching as the screen showed the outlines of walls, furniture, and one red, human silhouette. The guy seemed to be sitting on a couch, but it didn't look like there was much standing between Charles and the man; the door would open right up into the living room.
Switching to the program made to hack through the lock for him, he glanced over his shoulder. Ares just watched him, seeming almost bored. Charles passed his omni-tool over the lock, watching the red light flip over to green and opened the door. Slipping inside, he spotted Aiden sitting on the couch, watching a game on his vidscreen. Charles let his bags slide to the floor, giving the room a quick scan. Spotting a lamp sitting on the table next to Aiden, Charles made a beeline for it, moving as quietly as he could, and scooped up the lamp, slamming it down on the man's head just as he'd started to turn toward Charles.
Aiden reeled, stunned but still conscious. Adrenaline spiking, Charles grabbed the next thing off the table—barely registering it as a glass bong—and smashed Aiden over the head again. The resounding crunch of bone breaking sent a euphoric rush through him, and Aiden slumped over, falling from the couch to a heap on the floor. Blood trickled down the side of his head, barely noticeable against the dirty, dark brown rug. Charles froze, suddenly unsure of himself, remembering how difficult it was to clean up the mess he'd created with Ethan—and he still feared he'd missed something.
"Take him to the bathroom," Ares said, locking the door when Charles turned to look at him.
Right. The bathroom. Okay.
Charles moved around the couch, stooping down, reaching for the man's arms.
"No," Ares said, stopping Charles in his tracks.
Looking at Ares, Charles' face contorted, brow furrowing with his confusion. But then he saw the bags next to Ares' feet and realized his mistake. Standing upright again, he backed away from Aiden and made his way over to the bag. Pulling out all the crap inside, he started by pulling the foot coverings on over his shoes, then the plastic smock, which really made him feel like an asshat, and finally the gloves. The gloves weren't so bad at least. "I feel stupid," he muttered, moving back to Aiden.
If Ares heard his complaints, he didn't let on. Charles squatted down, sliding his arms under Aiden's and started dragging the man to the bathroom, grunting a little along the way. The man probably only had fifty pounds and a few extra inches on Charles—all dead weight at the moment—but it made Ares' comment about working out sting all over again. Backing into the bathroom, Charles let Aiden drop to the floor.
He glanced up at Ares watching him from the doorway. "Should I stick him in the tub? Less messy, yeah?"
Ares grunted, giving Charles a slight nod.
He maneuvered around Aiden, hauling him up by the arms again and dragging him up onto the edge of the tub. When Aiden's weight shifted, sending him sliding over the edge, Charles nearly fell in with him. The guy began groaning, head listing about as he started to wake up. Charles reared back and punched him in the temple as hard as he could.
"This isn't nearly as much fun," he muttered, shoving Aiden's legs over the edge of the tub, tugging him into a better position. Charles sat down on the toilet, catching his breath. Pulling out his razor, he flicked it open and glanced at Ares.
"We'll get you some cuffs. But for now …." Ares pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them on. He moved to the tub, leaned over to grab the man, and slapped him hard across the face, rousing Aiden.
Charles beamed at Ares but bit his lip to keep from saying something stupid. Shit, he loved watching the turian manhandle assholes. Tugging the shower curtain out of the way, Charles moved over to perch on the edge of the tub. He leaned down, patting Aiden's cheek. "Hey, asshole. Wake up."
Aiden's eyelids fluttered again, letting out another groan. After a second or two, he focused in on Charles, confusion filling his eyes before his gaze slid up to the giant ass turian looming over him. Fear set in, dilating the pupil of his left eye a little wider than the right. Charles grinned, snorting as the man started cursing and scrambling, flopping around in the tub like a fish out of water as he tried to free himself from Ares' grip. Ares growled, putting more weight on the guy to keep him from sitting up.
Aiden kicked out, nearly clipping Charles, but he got out of the way in time. The shower curtain got ripped down in the process, though, so Charles shoved it in around Aiden's legs, making it harder for him to kick. Ares shifted his weight, grabbing one of the man's arms and wrenching it at an awkward angle, making him scream but hold still. Snagging a washcloth from the shelf above the toilet, Charles stuffed it in Aiden's mouth.
Using his razor, Charles cut through Aiden's shirt, pushing the fabric aside to reveal the well-defined muscles of his chest and stomach. Aiden squirmed again, but Ares pulled on his arm, and he screamed around the rag in his mouth. Charles smirked, his cock already starting to harden. He wished they could afford to just let Aiden scream, but the apartment building was too crowded for that.
Adjusting his grip on the razor, fingers feeling weak and trembly with the building need to spill blood, Charles made his first cut, slicing a long line down Aiden's chest. The man whimpered and thrashed, only to be stilled once again by the pressure that looked like it might rip his arm clean off his body if he wasn't careful. That would certainly be something to see. Charles watched the blood for a second, licking his lips before cutting Aiden again, taking his time, dragging the razor through the man's skin and muscle.
Ares rumbled. "He's passing out."
Charles looked up to see Aiden's eyes rolling back, head starting to droop, and he reached out with his other hand, slapping Aiden's cheek. He smiled when the man's eyes snapped open, focusing on him again. "According to C-Sec, you've raped and killed eight women," he said, voice soft and pensive. "I wonder if they were as scared as you are right now." He cut into Aiden's chest for a third time, sucking in a deep breath as the man thrashed, blood spilling down over his sides to soak his torn shirt.
"I'd really love to take my time with you, but I'm still figuring this whole thing out, and I know I can't stay in here all night," Charles all but whispered when Aiden stilled again, savoring the pain and terror in his eyes. "So don't worry, I'm almost done. I just need," he said, bringing his razor back to Aiden's chest and dragging it down over his pec, making Aiden twist and squirm, screaming into his gag, "a little bit more."
Charles took a few more minutes with the man, cutting into him and watching the rivulets of blood sliding over his skin. He wanted more, oh so much more, but he really did need to finish up and get out of there. And, he didn't want to test Ares' patience too much. Finally, Charles met Ares gaze and nodded. Ares grunted, pulling the man's head back by his hair, and Charles sunk his blade into Aiden's carotid artery, jerking the blade across his throat.
Blood gushed from the wound, arching out before splashing down onto Aiden's shredded chest. Some distant part of Charles' mind saw Ares let go and stand up straight, felt Ares lingering there next to him, but he was transfixed. All he could do was watch, fixated, utterly unable to look away, even when he heard the gurgle of the drain, drinking in the offering. His cock felt so hard, it kind of hurt, pressing against his pants.
When the blood finally slowed to a mere trickle, Charles tore his gaze away to look up at Ares. Fuck, he wanted him. Wanted to pull Ares down to the bathroom floor and sink his teeth into the turian's hide, lick and bite every inch of him. Charles wanted to strip him down and take Ares' cock in his mouth before climbing on top of him and fucking him until they both came. Ares looked down at him, pupils dilated, that hungry look about him, and Charles almost reached for him, but Ares rumbled and gave him a stern shake of his head.
"Finish it," Ares said, his subvocals heavy and raspy, only stoking the flames in Charles. "We're on a time schedule."
Charles nearly whimpered, but he licked his lips and ripped his gaze away, focusing back on the body in the tub. His mind felt thick, thoughts hazy, and he needed to force himself to think. "I didn't bleed at all. Do I need to strip him and clean him?"
"No." Ares pulled off his gloves. "Stay here." He handed the gloves to Charles and left the bathroom.
Charles stood up, rinsing his razor off in the sink before grabbing another washcloth, using it to dry the blade and get the blood out of the crevices. He looked up when Ares returned with the bags they'd brought.
Ares squatted down, digging through the duffle bag. "Dirty shit goes in here." He tossed a trash bag to Charles.
Charles set to work, tossing the blood-stained washrag inside the bag before stripping off his protective gear. With everything in the bag, he looked down at himself and asked, "My clothes are clean, can I keep them?"
"Yes." Ares took the trash bag from Charles, handing him the two other bags instead. "Let's go."
Charles nodded, slipping his razor into his pocket and slinging the bags over his shoulder. He stole one last glance at the corpse before following Ares out of the bathroom.
Stopping in the living room, Ares pointed to the bong and the broken lamp still laying on the floor. "Grab them."
Charles did as he was told, squatting down over the broken shards of ceramic and picked them up, making sure not to cut himself or touch anything else. Ares held the trash bag opened for him, and he dumped them inside before grabbing the bong, too. He turned it over in his hand a second and hummed, it wasn't even cracked. Dropping it into the bag, also, Charles stood back up.
As they headed for the door, Charles checked to make sure the security disruptor still ran. They left the apartment in silence, and Charles relocked the door behind them. He glanced at the trash bag in Ares' hand, the haze starting to lift from around his head. "Incinerators?"
"Yes," Ares said with a rumble. "This apartment, if not the block, should have one."
Charles felt a little surprised, he didn't think it'd be a good idea to stick around long enough to use the apartment's incinerators, but if Ares said it was okay, then he trusted Ares. He looked through the blueprints again. "The incinerators are on the lower level, near the back."
Ares waved a hand, telling Charles to lead the way, so he did. They didn't really say much else, just took the elevator down to the ground floor and made their way to the incinerators. Standing in front of the flames, Charles glanced at Ares and saw a familiar spark of terror flash through his eyes. Charles reached over, easing the bag from Ares' grip without a word and tossed it into the fire before closing the door on Ares' nightmare. He tugged on Ares' jacket as he passed back by him, urging the turian to follow. Ares rumbled and started walking. The slightly cool, fresher air of the Citadel seemed to work wonders to clear both of their heads. Ares picked up his pace, taking the lead back to the waiting vehicle.
Once they were back in the skycar, Charles asked, "Did I get anything wrong? Besides not coming fully prepared and almost touching the guy without all that shit on?"
Ares flicked a mandible. "Next time wear gloves before you get in."
"Shit. Of course. That was stupid." Charles raked a hand through his hair and let out a heavy breath. Turning in his seat, he eyed Ares, letting a smirk lift the corner of his mouth. "Can we go home and fuck now? Please?"
Ares chuckled and nodded, starting the skycar and lifting it into the air.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Charles flung the bags to the floor, turning to Ares. He grabbed Ares' jacket in his fists, tugging the turian down as he pushed up on his toes to kiss him. Mouth plates opening easily under Charles' insistence, he moaned as Ares' tongue dove into his mouth. Ares wrapped his hands around Charles' hips, the tips of his talons digging into Charles. Pressing himself against Ares, he shoved his hand under Ares' jacket, grabbing his bandaged side and squeezing. He walked backward, using his grip to guide Ares toward the bedroom.
Snarling, Ares broke the kiss and bared his teeth, making Charles' cock twitch. "You open that wound and I'm making you lick it clean." He leaned in, nudging Charles' head to the side, running his tongue over Charles' throat as they walked.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" Charles kneaded the bandaged area again, testing Ares' response.
He growled against Charles, the sound somewhere between pain-filled and aroused. His grip on Charles tightened, and the talons of his first fingers and thumbs ripped right through Charles' shirt to pierce the skin just above his hip bones, but the thicker fabric of his jeans warded off the talons of Ares' second fingers. It sent a shiver down Charles' spine, and he sucked in a deep breath, rubbing the side of his head against Ares'.
"Because I'm totally okay with the idea," Charles said, his voice cracking in his dry throat. He stopped in the doorway, easing away from Ares enough to pull his shirt off over his head, tossing it aside and kicking off his shoes.
Ares hummed, seeming to consider the proposition. Gaze sweeping over Charles in the low light, he took his jacket off, tossing it back toward the couch. Pulling his shirt off, he let it drop. Charles caved to the urge to touch Ares, moving back to him, wanting to feel the turian's warm plates and hide against his chest. He leaned into Ares, pressing a kiss to his keel before grabbing his hips and turning him, getting a look at the bandage. The bandage itself was barely any bigger than the palm of Charles' hand, and blue blood spotted the white gauze.
"Looks like you've already bled through a little. Not much point in the bandage now." Charles picked at the tape a little. "Can I take it off?"
Ares shrugged. " Why not?"
Charles peeled off the bandage, scraping his teeth over his lip as he saw a little blue blood oozing from around the scabbed over areas. Dropping the gauze to the floor, he ran his fingers over the circular cut—suspecting it'd been caused by a broken bottle—dragging his fingers through the blood. He looked up at Ares, licking his fingertips clean. Ares let out an odd thrum deep in his throat, a sound Charles didn't recognize, as he watched. Charles rolled the taste around on his tongue, it had a different flavor from human blood, a little more bitter, but it still carried the tang of metal. He hummed, swallowing.
Leaning in slow enough for Ares to tell him to stop if he wanted, Charles laved the wound with his tongue, and Ares growled. Smiling, Charles brought a hand back to Ares' other side, getting them moving towards the bed again. He kept his mouth on the wound, licking and nipping at the hide around the area without actually biting the cut itself. When he reached the bed, he undid Ares' pants, shoving a hand down inside to wrap his fingers around his cock and started stroking, pulling an aroused rumble from the turian.
Moving his face away from Ares' side, blood still on his lips, he turned his mouth up to Ares. He thrummed and leaned down, shoving his tongue into Charles' mouth. He started to shove his pants down, and Charles helped, easing them down over a hip even as he continued to stroke his hand up and down within the confines. Once they were off, he started working on his own, finally letting go of Ares to get at his own fly.
Ares leaned in and ran his tongue and teeth along Charles' neck as he tried to undress. He shuddered, forgetting what he meant to do for a second, bringing a hand up to knead at the back of Ares' head, tilting his own head back to expose his throat. When the ache in his balls reminded him of his task, he started shoving his pants down with one hand. Managing to get them tugged down low enough, he kicked them the rest of the way off before sitting back on the bed, pulling Ares along with him.
Ares hovered over Charles on hands and knees, dragging his teeth over Charles' shoulders and chest. Bracing himself on knees alone, he slid his hands under Charles, taking a firm hold of his ass. He squirmed, arching into the places where Ares' teeth meet his skin, seeking out more of the sensation. He lifted his hips as Ares' squeezed his ass, pushing his cock against the turian's chest. Releasing one hand to hold himself up against the bed, Ares moved down and lowered his face, swirling his tongue around Charles' cock.
Charles let out something between a whimper and a gasp. Tongue so hot and wet as it moved around him, it made him desperate for more. He reached down to wrap his fingers around Ares' forearm, bracing himself. "Let me feel your teeth … just a little."
Ares chuckled, the sound heavy with arousal. Wrapping his mouth around Charles' cock, he slowly slid his teeth along the shaft. Charles hissed, even just the faint, whisper of pain on his cock sent a shock through his system. He forced himself to hold his hips still and groaned, Aiden's blood pumping out of his body filling Charles' mind. He wanted … needed more, hungry for the place where pleasure mixed with pain, overcoming every inch of him, dragging him down into the abyss.
Squeezing Ares' arm, throat dry and voice cracking, he said, "A little harder."
Gasping at the sudden sting of pain, he trembled, feeling Ares purr around his cock, chest rumbling against his legs. He lifted his head to watch as Ares licked away the little beads of blood welling up on his cock. "Fuck." Moving his hand from Ares' forearm to his shoulder, kneading his fingers into the scars, he said,"You are so fucking hot."
Ares merely hummed as he took Charles back into his mouth, dragging his teeth along Charles' cock again, stopping here and there to lick up the blood.
"Make me cum," Charles whispered, not even caring about his pleading tone.
Thrumming around him, Ares gripped Charles' ass harder, talons cutting into the skin as he scraped his teeth around Charles' cock, curling his tongue around him. Charles lifted his hips a little, fighting the urge to buck into Ares' mouth—both because it felt wrong to do and because he really wanted to keep his cock intact. He moaned, fingers digging into Ares' shoulder, breathing coming heavier. Despite having his gaze glued to Ares, images of his razor slicing through Aiden's chest flashed in front of his eyes. Aiden's muffled screams and pained groans resonated in his ears, the scent of blood filling his nostrils.
After a few more passes, Charles' grip tightened, and he forced a warning out through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna cum."
At that, Ares lowered himself completely, mouth plates flush against Charles' groin, flexing his throat around Charles' cock. It tipped Charles over the edge, a strangled grunt ripping through him, and he came. Cum pumping right into the turian's throat, Ares swallowed it down.
Charles collapsed back against the bed when the convulsions slowed to a stop, tugging at Ares. "Fuck me."
Ares released him and growled. "Make me."
Charles let out a snort, not really interested in getting into a battle of wills with Ares. "I've already gotten off, so if you're not in the mood …." He grinned down at Ares, nudging him with his knee. "Would you rather I beg?"
Ares hummed and smirked. "That's a thought …."
Charles chuckled and pursed his lips, removing his hand from Ares' shoulder to stroke his fingertips over the turian's mandible. "Please, please, please come fuck me."
Ares snorted but made a rumbling sound. "Your begging fucking sucks." Moving up onto his knees, he grabbed Charles' hip, guiding him over onto his hands and knees. "Get comfortable."
Charles adjusted his arms, tucking his elbows down against the mattress. "Maybe I need you to teach me how to beg, too."
"Like I would know," Ares said, grabbing a few of the pillows and tucking them under Charles before pushing him down flatter against them. "I said get comfortable."
Charles huffed. He was comfortable, not that the new position wasn't, too. "Less talking, more fucking …" He glanced back again as Ares spread his legs wider, and he smirked. "… pretty please."
Ares just hummed, stretching out over Charles, pressing his keel against Charles' back, weight resting mostly on his elbow wedged against the mattress. He brought his head close enough for Charles to feel breath ruffling his hair, prickling at the nape of his neck. He grabbed Charles' hip with his other hand, pinning him in place. Shifting his hips, his wet cock slid over Charles' asshole, spreading the turian's natural lubricant around before he lined himself up by feel alone. He pushed in just barely slow enough to keep it from hurting.
Charles groaned, pushing back against Ares. He already knew he'd end up with another hard-on before the turian finished with him. "Mmmm." He let out another groan, feeling himself stretch around Ares' cock. "You feel so good." Turning his head to face Ares, he gave him a victorious smile, all teeth.
Ares growled, grinding his hips against Charles, shifting up and to the side enough to shove his tongue into Charles' mouth before giving him a rough thrust. Charles hissed against Ares' mouth, still adjusting to the sudden penetration, scar tissue taking a little longer to relax and stretch than the rest of him. He didn't mind though, it was what he wanted, for Ares to fuck him hard and rough, make him hurt a little. He moaned, twirling his tongue around Ares' the best he could at the awkward angle.
After a moment, picking up his pace, Ares snarled, tearing his mouth away from Charles and turning to press his forehead against the bed. Charles moaned, moving against him, savoring the feel of the turian's body pressed against his as much as he did the burn of Ares' cock sliding in and out of his ass. By the time the pain faded completely, Charles felt himself getting hard again. He wedged an arm down between his chest and the pillows, wrapping his fingers around his cock and started stroking, feeling a fresh sting as his hand ran over the bite marks Ares' left behind.
Ares' voice and subvocals grew deeper, raspier, letting Charles know he was close to cumming. His movements shifted to rougher, shorter thrusts as he gripped Charles' hip harder, his other hand fisting in the sheets. Feeling Ares' talons sinking into his skin, Charles let out another, louder moan of pleasure. He began milking Ares' cock with his ass muscles, moving his hand faster against his own. Ares' tensed and snarled, burying himself deep inside of Charles as he came before giving him a few more lazy thrusts, riding the aftershock.
Charles tightened his hand around the tip of his cock, trying to choke off as much cum as he could when his second orgasm hit, shuddering around Ares and grinding out a strained, "Fuck."
Ares' breath came out in rough pants, subvocals rumbling in his throat as he slowly released his grip on Charles. He stayed there, though, pressed against Charles as they both caught their breath and regained their composure. After a minute, he slid out and rolled over to his back. Pushing the pillows out of the way, Charles turned over, tranquility washing over him as he took in the turian laying next to him. Easing over, he stretched out against Ares' side, throwing an arm over Ares' stomach and resting his head on Ares' shoulder, letting out a soft purr of contentment.
He stayed like that for a moment before pulling his hand back to rub his hand over Ares' hide, probably just barely hard enough for him to feel, and whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?" Ares asked, subvocals rumbling.
"For everything. For showing back up. Taking me out tonight." He grinned, looking up at Ares. "For the kickass vidscreen and for fucking me."
Ares flicked a mandible. "Don't mention it."
Charles snorted, knowing it was as good as it got with Ares. Reaching down to grab Ares' wrist, he lifted the turian's arm and ducked under it, pressing his face against the side of Ares' keel, head in the crook of his arm. He pulled Ares' arm back around himself, settling Ares' hand on his ribs. He knew he should get cleaned up, but he didn't want to move from that spot. Maybe ever.