Stow His Shit
Nightmares waking Charles, he reached out for Eezo, but he found the spot next to him cold and empty. Sighing, he rolled over, opening his eyes while he adjusted his pillow under his head and froze. It took only a second for the dark shape stretched out on the bed next to him to click into place in his sleep-hazed mind.
Ares.
Heart thudding hard against his chest, so many emotions hitting him all at once, he gasped. Relief, fear, joy, and just a touch of anger. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He hesitated a moment, doubt creeping into the mix, but then he moved closer to Ares, pulling the blankets out of the way enough to curl in against the turian's chest. Ares made a soft rumble as he wrapped his arm around Charles' back and pulled him closer, lowering his head to butt his chin against the top of Charles' head.
Charles let out a soft, relieved sigh and blinked back more tears, sleep pulling at his mind as his exhaustion somehow quadrupled in that instant. He closed his eyes, soaking in Ares' warmth and scent, and let it carry him back to sleep.
Charles woke up, but Ares wasn't in bed next to him. For a few seconds, he couldn't breathe again, thinking he must've dreamed Ares' return. His heart sank, leaving him feeling cold and empty inside. But then, he heard something move in the next room, and his heart skipped a beat. Throwing off the covers, he grabbed his sweats and slipped them on before grabbing his cigarillos off the nightstand and raking a hand through his hair. Nervous, feeling jittery, he didn't really know what to expect as he made his way into the living room.
Glancing around, he found Ares standing in the kitchen, back against the counter. Prosthetics still covered his face, a blue contact hiding the milky-white of his blind eye. He had a tube of those military rations he sometimes ate hanging from his mouth and his omni-tool opened. Bandages dotted the turian, two on his left arm, one on the upper right, a patch on his chest, and another wrapped around his waist. Seeing them made Charles want to go to Ares and search all of him for more injuries and then find a way to make them better. Still, a part of him didn't feel entirely convinced any of it was real and Ares actually stood right in front of him. That Ares came home.
Charles moved slowly, sitting down at the breakfast bar and licked his lips before lighting a cigarillo. "Hey," he said, keeping his voice soft, even though he felt pretty sure he couldn't have said it any louder just then if he wanted to.
Ares let out a long hum around the tube of food paste and closed his omni-tool. Finally looking up at Charles, he dropped his hands, gripping the edge of the counter behind him. He left the tube hanging from his mouth, and under other circumstances, Charles might've found it funny.
Lifting his cigarillo to his mouth, Charles realized his fingers were shaking. He took a deep drag and swallowed before cowering under the silence and saying, "I wasn't sure if you were going to come home."
Ares watched him a few moments before lifting a hand to take the tube out of his mouth. "You know I don't always know when I'll be back."
About to say something about the fight, Charles closed his mouth instead, simply swallowing and nodding. He couldn't bring himself to revisit that hellish night. He just couldn't, not if Ares didn't bring it up first. He still felt terrified he'd say or do something stupid and Ares would just leave again. So, he sat there and smoked in silence for a couple of minutes. "I'm really glad you're here." And he was. Somewhere in there, amidst the fear and anger, the grief and hurt was the same, excited, little puppy he always turned into whenever Ares showed up. So hopeful and stupid, ready for whatever scraps of affection the turian might give him.
Ares hummed, tossing the empty tube in the trash and pushed off the counter. Moving to the breakfast bar, he reached across and took Charles' cigarillo out of his hand. Sticking it between his mouth plates, Ares walked around the breakfast bar and came to sit down next to Charles.
Twisting a little, he turned to look at Ares, the sight of his clove cigarillo hanging out of the turian's mouth bringing a smile to his face. "Any better than the last brand of mine you tried?"
Ares seemed to consider it before blowing out a breath of smoke and handing the cigarillo back. "Yeah. Still tastes funny to me, but it's not as bad."
Charles smiled again, a little wider than before, and took a drag. "They're not what most humans smoke, but I prefer them." He glanced at one of the bandages on Ares' arm. "Bar fight or work?"
Ares grabbed his pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it. Taking the first, long drag, he glanced at his arm and let the smoke seep out from around his mandibles. "Don't remember that one. Probably a bar fight."
Charles let silence sit between them for a few seconds, taking a drag from his cigarillo. The small talk just wasn't working for him. He still hurt and felt all twisted up inside. Maybe it was selfish, but he needed to say something, do something. He needed to … reconnect. Swallowing, he slipped off the bar stool, standing right in front of Ares. He reached out and settled his hand on Ares' cheek before leaning in and wrapping his arms around the turian's cowl, nestling his face in against Ares' neck. "I'm sorry, Ares."
Ares' chest and throat vibrated against Charles, and he laid his free hand on Charles' back. "Yeah. Me too."
Eyes stinging, Charles swallowed down the sob building in his throat and blinked the tears away. He stayed there for a long time, feeling his cigarillo burn down in his fingers before finally pulling away. He stubbed the cigarillo out in the ashtray and then pressed his forehead to Ares'. Thrumming, Ares butted his head back against him and turned, wrapping his hands around Charles' waist. He lifted Charles, setting him on the breakfast bar in front of Ares.
Somewhere in the back of his head, Charles felt amused enough to give him a little smirk. He kept his hands on Ares, afraid the turian might disappear on him and studied his face. The prosthetics hid him from Charles, made him feel vulnerable and exposed while Ares stayed safely tucked away behind his mask. Stamping his cigarette out, Ares gripped Charles' waist and leaned in, kissing him with a rumble.
Charles threw himself into the kiss, all the pent up crap over the last week and a half flooding him all over again. He grabbed Ares' crest, pulling him in closer, kiss rough and demanding. He needed to feel Ares. Needed to feel wanted. Ares growled, matching Charles' force and running his hand up Charles' side to cup the back of his head. Letting out a soft, needy sounding moan, Charles' reached down with his free hand to squeeze Ares' waist, trying to pull him closer. He scooted to the edge of the breakfast bar, wrapping his ankles around the man's hips.
Standing up, Ares leaned over him, easing him back onto the breakfast bar. Pulling away from the kiss, he nipped a trail along Charles' jaw and down to his neck, licking and dragging his teeth along Charles' skin and pulse. Goosebumps broke out over Charles, breath catching in his throat. Heart pounding against his sternum, cock already hard as a rock, he moaned. His eyes slipped closed as he took in the sensations, let them overwhelm him, but then his gaze snapped right back to Ares, afraid to even let the turian out of his sight for more than a second.
Squeezing Ares' crest a little, he brought his other hand to his shoulder, kneading into the hide and muscle. Ares growled, sliding his hands down Charles' sides, squeezing his waist before dragging his hands down to the waistband of his pants. Thumbs dipping beneath, he rubbed just above the base of Charles' cock. A soft groan rumbled through Charles, and he tugged at Ares' crest, trying to urge him back for a kiss.
As stubborn as ever, Ares stayed put a moment longer, scraping his teeth and tongue over Charles' throat before kissing him again, shoving his tongue into Charles' mouth. Charles dove back into the kiss, arching his back to press against Ares while pulling him down, hating every fraction of the space separating them. Bringing his hand from Ares' shoulder, he dug his fingertips into the back of Ares' neck before moving over his cowl and dragging his fingers down Ares' spine, shifting to squeeze his waist. Every movement felt desperate, frantic, his hands unsettled, wanting to touch every inch of the turian.
Emitting a low hiss beneath his breath as he broke the kiss, Ares brought his mouth to Charles' ear. "Tell me what you want."
Voice trembling, fingers still clinging and kneading at Ares, Charles said, "You. All of you. I don't care how I just want you."
Ares growled and stood up, pulling Charles' pants off and tossing them aside. Leaning down, he ran his tongue from base to tip of Charles' cock, swirling it around, pulling a moan from Charles. He turned his head, scraping his teeth over Charles' stomach as he worked at getting his own pants off. Charles' cock, muscles, and skin jumped and twitched under Ares' tongue and teeth. His chest felt cold and painfully abandoned without Ares' heat and the scrape of his keel and plates.
Letting his hand slip from Ares' crest, he dipped his fingers beneath, kneading the hide at the base of his skull. His other hand moved back to Ares' shoulder, fingertips digging into his shoulder, thumb slipping into his cowl to rub back and forth. "I missed you so fucking much."
Growling against him, Ares nipped at his pec. He straightened and kissed Charles, curling their tongues together and running his hands over Charles. He pulled Charles' legs around his own waist, and Charles locked his ankles together behind the turian. Wrapping his arms around Ares' cowl, he held on tight as Ares lifted him up from the breakfast bar and carried him to the bedroom.
Ares sat on the bed, keeping Charles on his lap, licking and nipping at his jaw and throat while digging around in the side table. When Ares shifted enough to give him an opening, Charles ducked his head under Ares' chin, biting into the hide before licking the same spot. He nipped Ares' mandible and rubbed his face against the turian's throat. Ares rumbled, throat vibrating against Charles' cheek, as he closed the drawer of the table and scooted them back on the bed against the pillows.
"Lift up a bit," Ares said, and Charles heard the bottle of lube pop open and squeeze out into Ares' hand.
Charles did as he was told, hands never leaving Ares, and pressed up on his knees. Flicking his tongue along Charles' throat, Ares circled a finger around Charles' asshole before slowly easing it in and letting out a low growl. A soft hiss slipped through Charles' teeth, and he brought his hand to Ares' waist, kneading and pulling, still trying to get the turian closer. Ares wiggled his finger around a few times before thrusting slowly, but Charles just wanted to feel Ares' cock inside of him, wanted to feel his teeth sink into his shoulder. Wanted to feel like he belonged to Ares.
"Want to finally get me back for ruining your cuffs?" Ares asked, a hint of amusement mixing with arousal in his subvocals.
Charles licked his lips, hazed over mind taking a few seconds to process. "What do you mean?"
"I have cuffs." Ares ran his tongue over Charles' lips. "I'm willing to let you put them on me, and I won't even try to break them … unless you want me to."
Charles let his words hang in the air for a couple of seconds. It wasn't even remotely close to what he wanted just then, but the weight of the offer meant a lot to him. He recognized it as a big deal, an important sign of Ares' trust, so he said, "Okay."
Ares rumbled, nuzzling his mouth plates against Charles' temple before pulling his finger out, nudging Charles. Rolling off of Ares, he leaned back on his elbows, watching as Ares got up from the bed and moved to his bag in the corner of the room.
He dug around inside the duffel for a moment before bringing back a pair of omni-cuffs. "Open your tool, and I'll show you the code for them."
Charles opened his omni-tool, watching Ares in the orange glow. Sitting down beside him on the bed, Ares taped the small interface on the cuffs. A ping lit up Charles' omni-tool, the cuffs syncing.
Humming, Ares handed them over. "The command is four-six-zero-two to release them."
Charles took the cuffs, struggling a little to switch mental gears, and stood up, nudging Ares back on the bed. "Get comfortable."
Ares snorted and laid down on his back. "Where do you want my arms, then?"
Charles smiled down at him, kneeling on the bed next to him and took one of his wrists, guiding it up over his head to the headboard. "Up here." Getting Ares' hands through the bars of the headboard, Charles leaned over him, securing the cuffs. "Is that comfortable?"
"As good as cuffs can be," Ares said with a smirk, shifting a bit as he settled into the mattress.
Trailing his hands back down Ares' extended arms, Charles lifted one of his knees, nestling it between Ares' thighs. He leaned over, brushing his lips over the Ares' mouth plates before nudging the man's head aside and scraping his teeth over his throat. Trailing his tongue down over Ares' neck and cowl, Charles stopped to nip at his keel. He knew he was being far gentler than anything Ares liked, but until he complained, Charles intended to take as much … intimacy as he could find at the moment. He brushed his face over Ares' chest, stopping to kiss the bandage there before moving down lower. Avoiding the wrap around Ares' waist, he nipped at the hide just above the bandage, digging his fingers in on the other side before moving down to drag his tongue over Ares' partially exposed cock.
Ares gave him a rumbling thrum, low and under his breath as he laid his head back. Shifting, he pressed more of his body into Charles' way. "You're going to have to be a bit harder. Not like I can feel all too much on the scarring."
Charles smiled, accepting his time to be soft and savor Ares had come to an end. Dragging his tongue back along Ares' cock, he covered the head with his mouth, digging his fingers in harder against Ares' waist. Ares let out a growl, sounding satisfied and aroused. Charles sucked the cock into his mouth, forming a solid seal as he slid his mouth up and down the exposed length. He moved his hands to the bandages, letting his fingertips rest there, and glanced up at Ares.
Voice thick, Ares nodded. "Do it."
Charles wrapped his hands around the bandage and squeezed, kneading and pulling more of Ares into his mouth. Ares let out a sharp snarl, bucking under Charles' hands. Although his thighs flexed, he didn't move any further. Charles could tell Ares wanted more but tried hard to stick to their rules. Tightening his grip, he curled his fingers in, digging into the bandage and scraped his teeth along Ares' growing cock. He slid one of his hands under Ares, grabbing his ass before shifting his leg up and over a little, giving him more room.
He took his mouth away from Ares' cock long enough to ask, "Do you want me to ride your cock, or do you want me to fuck you?"
Ares hummed slowly, mandibles flicking along his jaw before he motioned with his head to the side table where the lube sat. "Fuck me."
Charles gave him a little nod but brought his mouth back to Ares' cock, scraping his teeth along the ridges. Pressing his tongue flat along the underside, he took Ares in as deeply as he could, working to keep his gag reflex in check as he swirled his tongue. He dug his fingers into Ares' waist again, not quite ready to break contact with the turian long enough to even reach over and grab the damn lube. Growling, Ares tensed beneath Charles, and he heard the cuffs rattling against the headboard.
"Fuck, come on," Ares said, tone urgent as he let out a frustrated growl, but he didn't move.
Charles released him with a chuckle. He turned his head and bit Ares' inner thigh before pushing himself up, crawling up a ways to grab the lube. He opened it, squeezed some into his hand, and then rubbed it over his cock before moving back down between Ares' legs. Using his clean hand to grab beneath Ares' knee, he tapped the back of his other hand against the turian's opposite leg before guiding them up and apart. He reached down between the two of them, sliding a finger into Ares' ass just long enough to wet the entrance and feel him relax before pulling it back out. He moved a little closer, bracing one hand on the mattress next to Ares' side and lined himself up, easing inside while watching Ares' face.
Don't leave me. Don't ever leave me.
Ares mandibles twitched, relaxing a little as he growled and lifted his head. Charles leaned in, and Ares nipped his lips, pushing against him to take more of him in. Charles kissed him, tongue slipping past his mouth plates. Once most of the way inside, he moved a hand to Ares' knee, sliding up and down his thigh, stopping to grip and massage a little before wrapping Ares' leg around his waist. He slid his hand back up, gripping Ares' waist as he seated himself completely and shifted a little on the bed to have better leverage. He stopped like that for a second, just kissing Ares, feeling the man relax completely and soaking in the tight warmth surrounding him before he started to move again.
Reaching up, he gripped Ares' crest, tugging his head back. "Look at me," he whispered, wanting to see Ares' eyes when he told him again that he loved him.
Growling, Ares smirked up at him, rattling the cuffs against the headboard. "Show me. Make me feel that hunger in your head, the one that you feed with each kill by your hands."
Charles stopped moving, a chill running through him. He felt like he'd just been slapped in the face. It was the furthest thing from what he wanted his reunion with Ares to be. He wanted to reconnect, wanted to feel like … like … like Ares loved him. He didn't want to feel the … detachment he'd feel if he went to his dark place. But if it was what Ares wanted, what Ares needed, then Charles would 'stow his shit' and give it to him. Something inside of him retreated, closed off, locking his heart away for safekeeping before it cracked into a thousand pieces.
He sucked in a deep breath, steeling himself, and let go of Ares' crest. Hiking Ares' leg up higher, he ducked his head under Ares' chin and sunk his teeth into the turian's throat. Closing his eyes, he willed up the bloody images, the freshest of them coming to mind first. He saw David, handcuffed to the shelf, face spilling blood down onto his chest. He pulled back and rammed into Ares, starting a brutal pace as he let the screams echo in his ears.
Ares groaned and arched under Charles, legs tensing and relaxing as he moved into Charles' thrusts. A growl vibrated deep in his chest, and the cuffs clanked against the headboard as he shifted, finding more leverage. Charles rumbled with his own growl, teeth digging deeper into Ares' hide, some primal part of his mind demanding the man beneath him stay still and not get away. He reached down, grabbing Ares' other leg and pulled it up, locking the ankle around the back of his thigh. The sound of his skin slapping against Ares' hide seemed distant, nearly lost to the sound of David's agony.
Ares rumbled as he arched under Charles, murmuring something too harsh for the translator to pick up over his subvocals. His legs pulled at Charles, urging him on. Charles growled again, releasing Ares' throat to push up, grabbing the headboard with one hand and gripping Ares' shoulder with the other. Some part of him knew he was pinning Ares down as much as giving himself leverage, but it didn't seem to matter as he fucked Ares harder, faster, his mind getting lost in the feel of sliding his razor through Aiden's chest.
His scrotum tightened to the sound of Ethan's bellows, balls pulling up tighter against his body. He moved faster, harder, grinding and digging himself in deeper. Blood washed down over David's chest, thick torrents flooding down his body to pool around the man. Charles pushed himself as hard and as fast as he could, barely even aware of Ares anymore. He felt so close to the edge. He brought the razor down, slashing across Harvey's face.
The beast inside of him snarled and growled, pulling against its chains, trying to break free.
Cole screamed in agony, and Charles hit the point of no return, pumping into Ares with everything he had. He pried Freddy's fingernail off with his razor, and the pressure burst, hitting him hard as it released into Ares before building again. Charles roared in ecstasy, slamming into Ares one last time before dropping his hand from the headboard to the mattress. Movements slowing as he rode out the last of his orgasm, he ground into Ares, an awareness of the rest of the world flooding back in. He opened his eyes, blinking as he searched out Ares' gaze.
Ares rumbled when their gazes met, and he huffed a laugh. "Now that's how you fuck someone."
Charles scoffed but smiled, dipping his head under to nip at Ares' neck. "Not everyone likes it as rough as you." He slipped a hand down between them, wrapping his fingers around Ares' cock as he slid himself free.
"Everyone doesn't matter but me," Ares retorted with a deep growl, relaxing his legs as he laid his head back against the pillows. "You going to keep me here and let me make a mess all over the bed?"
"Fuck the bed." Charles nipped at Ares' throat again, tightening his grip on Ares' cock and sliding his hand up and down. "You're right. No one else matters but you. If this is what you want from me, then it's what you'll get."
It occurred to him, distantly, that Ares expected him to just uncuff him and be done with it all. Roll over and go to sleep without getting Ares' off as if he were nothing but a quick fuck to pass the time. It made Charles question why Ares wanted him to go to such a dark place to begin with.
Ares didn't tell him to stop, though. Letting out a low hum, he shifted his legs to push his feet into the mattress, thrusting up into Charles' hand. Charles adjusted to his pace, jacking the man off while nipping and licking at his throat. He lifted his chin as he gripped the headboard and fucked Charles' fist hard before cumming with a drawn-out snarl, thrusting shallowly until he stopped spurting across his stomach.
Charles smiled against Ares' throat, bringing his face back to Ares. He kissed him before climbing off the bed, casting a smirk over his shoulder as he left him there, still cuffed. He made his way to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, running part of it under warm water before returning to the bedroom.
Kneeling on the bed next to Ares, using a gentle touch, Charles cleaned him. He wiped Ares' cum off of his stomach before running the towel between his legs, wiping his ass clean. Charles felt Ares' gaze on him as he worked, but he didn't speak, just moved his legs and twisted a little to give Charles better access. Letting the door keeping his heart at bay slip opened a crack, he felt confusion and dread seep in.
Tossing the towel aside, he opened his omni-tool and entered the code. He crawled to the top of the bed and waved his omni-tool over the cuffs, slipping them free. Ares lowered his arms to collect the pillows and sat up, grabbing the lube and tossing it onto the side table as he rolled his wrists. Charles turned and sat on the bed next to Ares, drawing his legs up and crossing his ankles, draping his arms over his knees.
"Should have brought our smokes in here," Ares said, laying his head back on the pillows. "You should train that dog to fetch."
Charles let out a soft chuckle and climbed from the bed. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. Setting them on the breakfast bar, he picked up Ares' pack of cigarettes and pulled one out before getting out one of his cigarillos. He stuck them both between his lips and grabbed Ares' lighter, brushing his thumb over the engraving a second before flipping the lid opened and lighting the smokes. Gathering up everything, he returned to the bedroom. He leaned over the bed, turning the side of his face where Ares' cigarette hung from his mouth toward the turian.
Ares snorted, taking the cigarette from Charles' lips and took a drag. "I see you killed someone else while I was gone."
Charles swallowed, tense again. He set one of the bottles of water on the bed next to Ares and sat down, taking a deep drag from his cigarillo before cracking the lid on his own bottle. "I wasn't in a good place." He took a heavy swallow from the water bottle, keeping his gaze on the lid as he put it back on. He felt conflicted, ashamed but not wanting to make apologies for himself. Not for that. "I did a lot of stupid things while you were gone."
Ares took a drag, blowing it out. "Like?"
Charles shrugged, pulling the blanket up over his legs, hiding the cuts on his thigh from sight. "Does it really matter? David's the worst of it … they're looking for a serial killer now, so, I'll lay off for awhile."
Humming, Ares nodded and flicked some ash off his cigarette into the ashtray on the side table. "Sounds like a good idea."
Taking another drag, Charles opened his omni-tool and looked at the time. It really wasn't something he wanted to talk about just then. "I'm supposed to meet Cammus at his gym in a couple of hours, but I can cancel it."
"No," Ares said, shaking his head as he blew out smoke. "You should go." He huffed a laugh. "It's good to know you took my advice when I said you should go to him for training."
Charles turned his head to look at Ares, brow furrowed. "Of course I did. Granted Travium isn't making it the most pleasant experience, but fuck him." He snorted, taking a drag. "Maybe going in with your scent fresh on me will make him back the fuck off for a bit."
Looking at him, Ares lifted a brow plate and rumbled curiously. "Who the fuck is Travium and why would he care about my scent on you?"
Charles let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his fingers over his forehead. "Travium is the owner of the gym Cammus goes to. He doesn't like the idea of a turian teaching a human turian fighting techniques. So, the first day, he came over, and I don't know what exactly he and Cammus said to each other, but next thing I know the guy's in my face tugging at my shirt." He took a drag from his cigarillo. "Tells me if I want to be in his gym learning to fight like a turian, I'd show him my bondmark and prove I 'belong' to a turian. He's given us shit a couple of times, the last time …."
Ares hummed around his drag, blowing it out. "And?"
"You're not going to like this," Charles said, looking over at him.
"Try me," Ares said, flicking ash into the ashtray.
Charles sucked in a deep breath, puffing his cheeks out and letting the air rush back out of him. "He didn't like the way Cammus was teaching me, so he came over and told Cammus that if he meant to teach me to fight like a turian, then he needed to teach me like a turian. When Cammus tried to explain himself, Travium cut him off. Came over and got in my face. The guy's a racist. Kept calling me 'human.'" He waved a hand. "Acevia said he fought in the First Contact War. Anyway, he asked if my mate coddles and fucks me like a human."
He paused to take a drag. "Like I said, I wasn't in a good place, so I got smart with the guy. He ended up right in my face, so I got in closer to his. Told him the next time you were here I'd have you show him how you like to fuck. Or I could just show him how I like to fuck since he's so caught up on me being a human." He glanced at Ares. "He threw me down on the mat," he looked away again, focusing on his cigarillo, "wrapped his hand around my throat, digging his talons in a little. So I grabbed his mandible, and he told me to bring you there so he could make us both his bitch."
Ares let out a sharp bark of laughter, irritation clear in his subvocals as he stood up, cigarette in his mouth. "What a fucking prick," he said as he walked toward his duffel and started to dig through it.
Charles took a heavy drag, watching Ares. "It pissed Cammus off. He was getting a lot of dirty looks already, bringing me there. People have been watching us, laughing at us both. Neither of us wants to go anywhere else, though." He took another drag. "It'd feel like letting Travium win."
Ares hummed in agreement as he pulled out a small bag. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and blew out smoke as he went to the dresser and set the bag down to dig through it. "Looks like someone needs to put the old fuck in his place, shut his fucking mouth so fast his head spins."
Charles snorted, relieved Ares didn't seem pissed at him for running his mouth and getting himself in trouble. "He doesn't seem real old. Maybe forty? I told him I'd be sure to tell you." He hesitated, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of Ares getting worked up to go kick Travium's ass for something Charles caused. He didn't want Ares to feel like he needed to 'carry' him. He cleared his throat. "So, yeah … I talked shit. Probably deserved to be thrown on the mat."
"I'm not denying that," Ares said, blowing out smoke as he pulled out jars of paints and a paintbrush. "When do you need to be at the gym?"
"After lunch, thirteen hundred hours." Charles looked at the jars in his hands, the uneasy feeling growing, but he stamped it down. "Are you going with me?"
"Yeah." Ares put his cigarette in his mouth and took his things to the bathroom, leaving the door open.
Putting his pants on first, Charles followed. He leaned against the door frame, watching Ares for a minute while he smoked. "I got the razor kit. Thank you."
Ares hummed around his smoke as he opened the larger jar, revealing a dark brown cream, the same color he'd used when he'd gone to Citadel Souvenirs. He scooped some out and started rubbing it onto his plates, coloring them. "Should've given you it sooner," he said around his cigarette before using his free hand to remove it and blow out smoke. "I take it you hadn't been taking it apart to clean?"
"No," Charles said, moving into the bathroom and tossing his cigarillo into the toilet. "I was afraid I'd break it." He moved over to the sink and picked up the jar of paint. "Can I help?"
"You have gloves?" Ares lifted a brow plate. "It'll stain your skin if you don't."
"Yeah." He set the jar down and went into the room, digging his kill bag out of the closet and grabbing a pair of gloves. He slipped them on his hands as he made his way back to the bathroom.
Ares had already gotten rid of his smoke, using both hands to smear the cream onto his plates. "Just cover whatever I leave. It'll make it go by faster, and I won't have to worry about rushing."