Downtime

Charles watched the kid out of the corner of his eye as they walked. Eezo tugged at the leash, testing Talak's boundaries, but he did a pretty decent job of keeping her reined in. Digging in his pocket, Charles pulled out and lit a cigarillo. He took a deep drag and looked around the Citadel, trying to figure out what to say to help put the kid at ease. To put himself at ease.

"How long have you been living in the ducts?" He glanced down at Talak, watching the soft flutter of the young turian's mandibles.

"I'm not really sure. Maybe three or four cycles?" Talak drew in his brow plates and glanced up, uncertainty in his eyes.

Charles nodded; it was really easy to lose track of time when every day was a battle for survival. "I get it. What are you? Twelve? Thirteen?"

Chirping softly, Talak fluttered his mandibles. "Twelve, I think."

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, Eezo wagging her tail the entire time. When the park came into sight, Eezo started pulling a little harder. Talak tightened his grip, wrapping the leash around his hand a second time and keeping her close.

Cigarillo wedged between two fingers, Charles pointed at the park. "She knows exactly where we're going."

"She seems excited." Mouth plates quirking in a smile, Talak glanced between the park, Eezo, and Charles.

"She is." Charles took a drag and nodded. "She gets bored and restless stuck in the apartment. At the park, she gets to come off her leash so she can run and play. And Lindsey's really good at helping her exercise and get it out of her system."

After a few more steps, Talak said, "Ares doesn't like Lindsey?"

"Meh … honestly," Charles said with a shrug and a flick of his hand, "Ares doesn't like most people."

Talak hummed, seeming to mull it over as they entered the park. It seemed like being away from the apartment made the kid a little more comfortable, a bit more confident. Charles took it as a good sign, hoping it meant Talak would continue to relax in time. Things would be incredibly awkward otherwise. Hell, they'd probably be incredibly awkward either way. What the fuck did he know about looking after a kid? A turian kid at that?

When the gate swung closed behind them, Charles said, "Go ahead and take her off the leash."

Squatting down, Talak fought past Eezo's scrambling, yipping, licking, and nibbling and unhooked the leash. Eezo let out a happy bark, making one last attempt to lick Talak's face before turning and running.

Talak chuckled softly as he stood up again. "She'll come back?"

"Yeah. She'll come back when you call her name. Whistling works best, though." Charles furrowed his brow and scratched the side of his head. He knew he'd sound like a complete idiot, but at least Ares wasn't there to hear him as he asked, "Can turians whistle?"

Talak stared blankly at him for a moment before very hesitantly saying, "Not the same way humans can, but we can make a similar sound in our throats."

Charles smiled and nodded, grateful the kid didn't mock his ignorance. "That'll probably work. Either way, she can learn to respond to it the same. Lindsey's been teaching her some commands. Maybe you can work with her, learn the ones Eezo already knows and help reinforce them at home?"

"Home …." Talak repeated, the word soft, tone wary.

"Yeah … if you want it to be. Doesn't have to be, though. We'll still do what we can to give you things to do. Make sure you're fed." Charles put out his cigarillo, stuffing the butt in his pocket as he studied the kid. "You don't have to decide right now."

The silence stretched for several long seconds before Talak gave him a noncommittal jerk of his head. They turned their attention back to Eezo in time to see her disappear around a bend of trees. She came running back out a few seconds later with Lindsey following right behind. Charles nodded his head toward the woman and then waved for Talak to walk with him.

"Hey, Linds." Charles stopped a few feet from the woman and turned sideways to look at Talak. "This is Talak. He's going to be helping some, bringing Eezo to the park for me when I can't."

"Awesome!" Lindsey held her hand out, a big grin on her face as she shook the kid's hand. "Do you want to run with her, too? I bet you can keep up with her better than I can."

Talak fluttered his mandibles and looked up at Charles.

Charles popped his shoulders in a shrug. "Totally up to you, kid."

Talak hummed. "Maybe next time."

Lindsey smiled at him and nodded. "Okay."

Unlocking the door to the apartment, Charles glanced at Talak and said, "Let me show you where her food is."

Talak bobbed his head and chirped. "Okay." He let Eezo off the leash as soon as the front door opened, and the dog ran inside, nearly tripping Ares on her way to her dishes.

Charles looked up at Ares, as he recovered from Eezo's failed attempt to sweep the long-limbed turian, and smiled. "Hey."

Ares grumbled under his breath, glancing at the dog before turning his gaze back to Charles. "I found a few pairs of clothes for Talak." He looked at the younger turian, adding, "They'll still be big, but they're small enough that you can manage at least around here."

Talak fluttered his mandibles, averting his gaze, but said, "Thank you."

Ares nodded once before walking away. "I also ordered a cot if you want to use it."

Following Ares and Charles to the kitchen, Talak took a moment to answer, but when he did it came soft, hesitant, and a little sad sounding to Charles' ears. "Are you sure you want me to? I can always just come back tomorrow to help with Eezo …."

Charles didn't say anything, just went about getting Eezo's food and water, watching the two turians over his shoulder.

Ares rumbled and looked at Charles a moment. "It's fine by me if you're alright with it." He glanced back at Talak and leaned his hip against the counter. "But if you'd rather take it with you, it's light enough to do that, too. You aren't obligated to stick around if you don't want."

Talak let out a low rumble, watching Charles put up the dog food before he finally said, "It's not a good idea to carry around anything awkward out there, in case you have to run … from C-Sec." He glanced back at Ares, and Ares made a considering hum. "If I stay here … what will that mean?"

Ares shrugged. "Pretty much help around like you normally would if you didn't sleep here. You'd have food, and we don't have anything for a kid, really, but there's the vid screen," he said, motioning to the living room.

Talak shifted a little, mandibles fluttering. "I don't want to leave the Citadel. Ramona … Rift is really … he was really happy … hmmm." He reached up and scratched at a raw spot from his scrubbing. "He has a new family now, away from the Citadel. But Mouse and the others are all still here."

Ares shrugged again and crossed his arms. "Charles lives here, and I come home to here, so we don't plan on leaving the Citadel."

Charles' heart did the stupid little flutter thing in his chest at Ares' statement.

Home. He called it home.

Talak swallowed. "Or sending me to live with other people?"

Ares' chuckle sounded obviously forced. "Yeah, that won't be an issue."

Talak let out a relieved sounding rumble. "And if I want to leave later, I can?"

"So long as you lock the door on your way out." Ares smirked.

"I'll stay, then." Talak flared his mandibles before letting them relax back against his face. "For now, at least …."

Charles gave Talak his stupid grin. Despite a million reasons why it was a bad idea and about a million more petty concerns, it made him happy for Talak to agree to stay. Maybe especially because it was something Ares seemed to want but also because Talak seemed like a good kid and life as a duct rat had to suck major ass.

Ares hummed, far be it from him to make it obvious the decision pleased him. "Do you want a real bed, then?"

Scratching at his face again, Talak shifted a little. "A cot's fine. I don't really need much. I usually just sleep in the ducts or an alley."

Charles knew the idea of a real bed appealed to Talak, but the kid stuck to being humble. It made sense, all things considered. He'd learn eventually, though, that Ares wouldn't offer him something he wasn't cool with giving him.

Standing up straight and pushing away from the counter, Ares nodded. "I'll leave you two to whatever you need to do with the dog, then. I'll get the clothes from the bedroom."

Charles chuckled, having already taken care of Eezo's needs—something Ares might realize if he didn't do his best to ignore anything to do with Eezo. Keeping his gaze on Talak, Charles aimed a playful jab at Ares with his words, "You see? This is exactly why I need someone to help me with Eezo. She was his idea; he bought her for me, but he doesn't want anything to do with her. And now he's thrown a hamster into the mix."

Talak smiled, flicking his mandibles. "Maybe he thinks human pets should be looked after by humans?"

Charles scoffed and chuckled before muttering, "So screwed." He nodded his head at the hamster cage. "You're feeding it now." He opened the bag still sitting on the counter holding the accessories for the hamster and handed Talak the box of seeds. Popping open the cage—the hamster scurrying for cover—Charles reached in and pulled out the bowl, setting it in front of Talak. Leaving Talak to fill it, he unhooked the water bottle and carried it over to the sink.

Raising his voice a little, Charles asked Ares, "Did you find anything on the extranet?"

Ares didn't respond for a moment before calling back. "There's a few that pass inspection, but you get the final say." He returned from the bedroom holding a delivery box with a small stack of clothes folded on top. "You'll be living in it more than I'll be around."

Charles handed the refilled bottle to Talak and leaned against the breakfast bar, pulling out and lighting a cigarillo. He let his gaze sweep over Ares, taking comfort in him just being there, and smiled around a drag. "Is there one you liked better than the others?"

"I won't tell you because then it'd influence your decision," Ares said as he set the clothes on the breakfast bar. When Talak finished with the hamster's cage, Ares looked at him and said, "This is a set of shit for your plates. Should be some brushes, cleansing scrub, and oils for the tenderness."

Charles narrowed his eyes a little, trying to figure out what would be so wrong about him being influenced by Ares' preferences. Why would his desire to make sure Ares had a place he'd be the happiest and most comfortable at be a bad thing? Making Ares happy would make Charles happy.

Talak picked up the box, mandibles fluttering as he looked inside. "Thank you. You're … spending a lot. I don't think taking care of Eezo really covers it all. If you're not going to be building your cubby … what else do you want me to do?"

"Oh, I still am. And it's planned to be larger when we get a new place, so you'll have more work." Ares shrugged, pulling out his cigarettes and putting one in his mouth. "Consider it as repayment after the fact."

Talak seemed confused, brow plates drawing in a little, mandibles stilling. He didn't say anything else, though, just nodded.

Charles checked to make sure the hamster cage was securely closed. "You want to go look at places with us?"

Talak looked up at Ares, waiting for guidance, and the older turian shrugged as he lit his cigarette. "Up to you if you want a say, I guess."

Apparently confused and conflicted, Talak seemed to shrink, folding in on himself a bit. He gave them a brief shake of his head. "I'll be happy wherever you guys decide to put me. I … I think I'll go talk to my friends. Let them know I won't be around so much for … that I'll be staying with some people."

Ares hummed around a drag, blowing it out to the side. "You going to sleep here or with them?"

Charles took a drag, turning to lean his hip against the counter when Talak looked at him. "It's completely your call, kid. No tricks. No surprises. Stay if you want, leave if you want. I've been where you're at, I promise you, you don't have to worry about any bullshit from us."

Brow plates drawing in, Talak asked, "You've been where?"

"Homeless, living on the streets." Charles shrugged and took another drag, blowing the smoke out toward the ceiling. "Having to learn to take care of myself … and learning you really can't trust everyone you come across."

Talak looked back down at the box in his hand for a moment. Silent, mandibles fluttering softly, he finally nodded. "I'll sleep here."

Ares hummed and turned his attention to Charles. "We should stick around here until he comes back, let him in, then go check the places I picked out."

Charles shrugged. He'd figured they'd check out places while the kid talked to his friends, but he didn't really have anything else planned for the rest of the day. "Whatever."

Sticking his cigarette in his mouth, Ares went into the kitchen, apparently done with the conversation.

Talak set the box on the counter, glancing back and forth between Ares and Charles. He hummed and scratched at his plates. "I won't be gone long."

"Stop scratching," Ares scolded without even looking back from digging in the cabinets.

Dropping his hand to his side, Talak looked at the floor with an agitated flick of a mandible.

Charles lifted his shoulder when Talak looked up again. "Take your time. Let me give you my extranet address, though, in case you get caught up or need something." He opened his omni-tool and passed his contact information along to the kid.

After walking Talak to the door, Charles stood there and watched him head for the elevator before closing the door behind him. Making his way back to the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around Ares' waist, resting his face on the turian's back. A low hum rolled through Ares, vibrating against Charles' cheek.

A moment later, Ares grumbled and asked, "Where did you find all this food? I don't even know what half of it is." He turned enough to show Charles a box labeled 'Cheekies!'.

Grinning, Charles shrugged and slid to the side, one arm still around Ares. He took a drag and said, "Cammus, Acevia, and the extranet."

A hum filled the silence as Ares looked at the box for a long moment. He turned to face Charles and laid a hand on his back. "I guess it's time to see if they have good taste."

Charles smiled despite feeling a little worried Ares wouldn't like any of the dextro food he bought. "Figure out what you like and what you don't … I guess what Talak likes, too. Whatever both of you hate, I'll send to Cammus."

Ares snorted and opened the box, revealing what looked like small, fried cakes. Taking one out, he sniffed it before giving it an approving hum. Setting the box down, he removed his cigarette from his mouth and took a bite. Something creamy and white with brightly colored specks filled the middle. He popped the rest of it in his mouth with a rumble.

Charles grinned up at him. "Good?"

Ares grabbed another, looked it over, and then shoved the entire thing in his mouth before swallowing it whole. "Don't know what it is, but it's not bad."

"I'll take it," Charles chuckled, wondering what the point was if Ares didn't even take the time to taste the cream filling. "Should I add it to my list of things to get again?"

Ares hummed and nodded, grabbing the box and heading to the fridge to fetch a bottle of water. He jerked his head toward the living room before making his way to the couch. Charles followed after him, taking a seat and putting out his cigarillo. Eezo jumped up next to him, and he tucked her in against his side to keep her out of Ares' face while he ate.

"Find something to watch," Ares said as he set the box on the side table to take a drag from his cigarette.

Picking up the remote, Charles turned on the vid screen before scooting closer to Ares. Leaning in against Ares' side, he draped a leg over the turian's knee. He started flipping through the channels and stopped on some turian-based film. Unsure what it was, he watched for a few seconds until he realized it was some boring documentary about the first turian explorers of the galaxy. He started flipping through the channels again.

"He seems like a good kid," he said, pausing on an action flick with a lot of explosions.

Humming in agreement, Ares stamped out his cigarette and leaned back, settling a hand on Charles' leg. "Skittish too, so it's good you're around to deal with that."

Charles let out a soft grunt. "He's probably just waiting for the trap to spring shut. Fuck, I know I'd be if the roles were reversed. He'll come around." Shifting a little to cover Ares' hand with his own, tucking his fingers beneath the turian's, he added, "I kinda get the feeling it's important to him that you're turian. He probably really needs that."

"I'll do my best," Ares said, grabbing another cake and eating it whole. "Not going to be perfect."

Charles snorted, setting the remote back down before waving his hand at the box of Cheekies. "Let me try one before you eat them all."

Ares rumbled, looking at the cake in his hand a moment as if debating on whether or not to give it to Charles, and Charles laughed. He glanced down at Charles before finally relinquishing the Cheekie. Charles took a small bite, rolling it around on his tongue as he chewed. Contrasting with the crunchy outside, the cream in the middle was rather sweet, and the little, colored specks felt like jelly and tasted a little sour. Humming as he swallowed, Charles took another bite before holding the rest up to Ares' mouth. Running his tongue over Charles' fingers in the process, Ares didn't hesitate to take the offering.

Chuckling, Charles gave Ares' mandible a light tug. "Remind me how I got so lucky?"

"Of what?" Ares asked, lifting a brow plate.

"How I got lucky enough to find you and be able to keep you?" Charles flashed his teeth in a wide grin.

A slight scoff slipped out of Ares before he dipped his head down, nipping at Charles' pulse. Arousal stirred in Charles at the feel of teeth across his skin, and the beast purred.

He hooked Ares' chin with his fingers and tugged the turian up to face him. "I mean it, Ares."

Ares flicked a mandible and diverted his gaze for a second before humming and leaning in, pressing his mouth to Charles' lips. Charles cradled Ares' head in his hand and opened his mouth to return the kiss as he brushed his thumb back and forth over a mandible. Ares growled, demanding as he shoved his tongue into Charles' mouth. He dropped a hand to Charles' hip and squeezed, pulling Charles over to straddle his thighs.

Letting out a hungry moan, Charles readjusted himself and wondered just how long Talak would stay gone. His tongue danced over Ares' before being captured. Something in the back of his head whispered, telling him that Ares only wanted to shut him up before he got too sentimental, but Charles pushed it away.

Curling his tongue around Charles' one last time, Ares pulled away and went for Charles' throat instead. He dragged his teeth along Charles' skin, creating an instant spike in arousal. He dipped his hands to Charles' ass, thumbs slipping into the waistband of his pants. Charles moved his hand to Ares' crest, wrapping his fingers around the spikes to squeeze and pull while exposing more of his neck to Ares. He tugged open the closures on Ares' tunic with his other hand.

"I do mean it," Charles said, throat dry, voice cracking.

Rumbling growing rougher, Ares slid a hand around to the clasp of Charles' pants and pulled until they came open. He lifted his head to take the lobe of Charles' ear between his teeth and bit, all but hard enough to draw blood, dragging a hiss and wince out of Charles before he stilled in the turian's grasp. Letting go, he growled in Charles' ear. "Too much talking …. We're on a time limit."

Charles let it go and pushed Ares' shirt out of his way, digging his fingers into Ares' waist. Ares snarled and gripped Charles' hips, lifting him to his knees and pulling at his pants in direction. Standing, Charles kicked off his shoes before pushing his pants and boxers down and stepping out of them, cock throbbing in anticipation. He looked down at Ares before leaning down and grabbing the turian's crest. Pulling Ares' head back, he closed his mouth over Ares' and nipped at his tongue.

Ares growled and gave Charles' hips a single squeeze before opening his pants and freeing his cock. He grabbed the back of Charles' head and pulled him closer. Charles wrapped his free hand around Ares' cock, savoring the wet heat. Stroking hard enough to match the roughness of the kiss, Charles gave voice to the purr of the beast, letting it vibrate through his throat and into Ares' mouth.

Ares ended the kiss and twirled his hand. "Turn around," he said, scooting to the edge of the couch.

Doing as he was told, Charles perched over Ares' lap. Ares lined his cock up with Charles' asshole and rumbled, putting gentle pressure on Charles' hip to guide him down. Charles eased into it, pausing part way to let himself adjust. The achiness from the day before still dug at him; the burn reminding him of his time spent healing after surgery back on Shanxi. He pushed the memories aside before they solidified and overwhelmed him, searching out the feeling of absolute belonging he only ever felt with Ares inside of him. Pressing down the rest of the way, he adjusted his legs to gain leverage as he started moving up and down on Ares' cock.

Growling, Ares ran his teeth and tongue along Charles' shoulder, hands gripping his hips and helping guide his movements. On the downstroke, Ares thrust upward, hitting deeper. Charles groaned and grunted with the movements. Reaching one hand around to hold the back of Ares' head, Charles closed the other—still slick with Ares' fluids—around his own cock.

Ares' deep, aroused voice whispered in Charles' ear, "If only you could pick up on our scent …. How heavy and thick it feels …."

"God, I wish I could." Charles rocked his hips a little as he moved, pushing Ares' cock against his prostate. "You must smell so fucking good."

Ares' subvocals carried a lewd tone as he hummed and slid a hand up to cup Charles' throat. He turned Charles' head toward him and shoved his tongue past Charles' open and waiting lips. Charles pushed back against Ares' tongue, hungry for more of him. All of him. He picked up the speed, stroking his cock faster and squeezing a little harder, working himself closer to cumming.

With a deep growl, Ares pulled his tongue back to speak against Charles' lips. "That's it. I want to feel when you cum … hear you … taste you in the air."

Heartbeat quickening at the sound of Ares' voice as much as the words, Charles rocked his hips faster, each stroke pushing him closer and closer cumming. He licked Ares' mouth plates, moaning against him before delving back into his mouth. Ares dragged his teeth along Charles' tongue and took control, firmly grabbing Charles' hips and guiding his movements as he thrust into him.

"Oh, fuck." Charles latched onto Ares' crest, tugging and squeezing as the pressure built to the point he couldn't hold it back even if he wanted to. "Fuck, you feel so good." He didn't even care that his voice came out in a needy whimper.

A handful of thrusts later, and he let out a loud groan. Muscles clenching and shuddering as the first wave hit, hot cum spilled out over his hand. Ares kept pushing through Charles' orgasm, claiming what was his to take. Growling next to Charles' ear, talons digging into his hips, Ares slammed into him and held him tightly against his lap. His cock jumped and twitched inside of Charles as he filled him with cum.

Ares growling softened as the aftershocks dissipated, and he eased his grip. Charles stayed there a minute longer, though, chest heaving as he caught his breath. Letting go of Ares' crest, he rubbed the turian's neck. He turned his head a little and nuzzled against Ares before letting out a contented sigh.

After a moment, he eased himself off Ares' cock and turned to kiss him before pressing their foreheads together. "I'm glad you're home."

"It was hell out there," Ares said before rumbling and leaning into the contact. "I'm enjoying the downtime."

Charles smiled and pulled back enough to look over Ares' face, gentle fingers gliding over the new crack in the plates of his cheek. "Good. We'll get as much of it in as we can before you have to leave again." Bumping his head against Ares' once more, he stood up. "I know you probably don't want to or just can't tell me about it … but you know, I'm always here if you want to talk about the hell out there."

Humming, Ares seemed to consider the offer before giving him a slight nod. "Maybe …. Not right now, though."

Charles nodded and smiled again. "I'd better go get cleaned up."

"Sounds good," Ares said, reaching down to tuck himself back into his pants and button up his tunic.

Making his way to the bathroom, Charles called back over his shoulder, "Open the balcony and air the place out a little for the kid?"

Charles collapsed onto the couch and lit a cigarillo. They'd looked at four different apartments before finally settling on one. He hated Ares making him be the one to pick—and without even hinting at a preference. But, in the end, he felt pretty sure he'd chosen well, and Ares acted content enough with his decision.

The kid seemed overwhelmed, but Charles saw the telling spark in Talak's eyes. He liked what he saw and maybe even felt a little hopeful. The place was just barely within budget with Charles' new manager's salary and the money he had from his dad's estate. The inheritance wouldn't last forever, though, which meant he'd have to suck it up and talk to Ares about money. He dreaded it, but he wanted both Ares and Talak to have a nice place—a nice home.

Talak climbed up on a bar stool and picked up a box of chips, or whatever they were, Ares left out for him earlier. He seemed to like them way more than Ares—though Ares said they weren't terrible—so Ares told Talak they were all his.

Ares quietly smoked his cigarette, staring off into space for a few moments before humming. "When do you want to move our shit?"

"Well, we paid the deposit, but I'm supposed to give the landlord here two weeks notice. So, I figure we've got some time. Still, better to start getting shit packed. Not tonight, though. I just want to sit here right now." Charles chuckled. "And not be on my feet for a while."

Ares snorted as he put his cigarette in his mouth and stood. Walking to the kitchen, he rounded the breakfast bar to look at Talak. "You don't have an omni-tool, right?"

Talak pushed up his sleeve and showed Ares the band on his wrist. "I do … a friend got it for me."

Ares hummed, leaning a hip on the breakfast bar. "Mind letting me see the model number? See what it can do?"

Talak hummed, too, seeming to consider the request for a moment before popping the band off his wrist and passing it over. "It's not a real good one or anything …."

Ares took it in his hands, turning it over as he examined it. "If you want to keep it, we can get upgrades for it …. That way you don't look like you're carrying high tech when you go out."

Talak let out a soft chirp but eventually nodded. "Alright. If you want."

Ares glanced at Talak before activating his own omni-tool and tapping some commands. The band in his hand lit up, receiving the data transfer before he passed it back to Talak. "I put in my contact. You have his," he said, tilting his chin toward Charles sitting on the couch. Taking his cigarette out of his mouth, he eyed the kid for a second before taking a deep drag. "But now you'll know if I'm contacting you, too."

Slipping the omni-tool back on his wrist, Talak opened it and looked over the contact information before nodding his head. "Is there something you want me to do? I can start packing? Or clean. Or …." His mandibles fluttered as he looked around the room and stopped on Charles. "Does Eezo need another walk?"

Ares blew out a long draft of smoke before rumbling. "If it does, I'll load a datapad with shit for your room while you're gone. You should have a relatively good idea of the room's size, but I'll let you decide how much shit you want." He stood up from the breakfast bar and shrugged. "I'll also give you a list of upgrades, see what you want along with what I'll be giving you."

Charles stamped down a smile. Ares acted as if he wanted to buy the kid everything he could possibly think of, and something about it both endeared and overwhelmed Charles. Talak seemed to be adapting to it, though, if not gracefully.

"You up to taking her by yourself?" Charles cocked an eyebrow when Talak looked at him again. "Because I'm seriously not moving for at least another hour."

Talak flicked a mandible, seeming amused. "I can take her myself."

"Alright. Then when you get back, I want you to sit on this couch and watch some stupid show and just be there and chill for a bit, okay?" Charles said, slapping a faux-stern look on his face and pointing at the couch. "You don't have to be up doing shit every second. I'll order us some dinner."

Talak flicked the other mandible and bobbed his head before sliding off the stool and grabbing Eezo's leash. Eezo perked up, jumping down off the couch and running over to Talak, tongue lolling out of her mouth, tail wagging. Charles snorted and kicked off his shoes, propping his feet up on the table and took a heavy drag.

He watched as Talak headed for the door before turning his attention to Ares. "Grab me something to drink?"

"Be more specific," Ares grunted but went to the fridge.

"Paragade," Charles said, leaning forward to grab the ashtray and set it on his lap.

Ares took a moment to dig through the fridge before coming out with a Paragade and beer for himself. He popped off the tops before walking back over to Charles and offered him the bottle of Paragade. Charles took it with one hand and snagged onto Ares' jacket with the other, tugging and tipping his head toward the couch in a silent request. Ares sighed, but Charles knew he'd exaggerated his irritation when he sat down on the couch and stretched out his legs.

Charles grinned, swallowing a drink before wedging the bottle between his thigh and the arm of the couch. "Thank you." He took a drag, blowing the smoke out toward the ceiling. "So, the new place … I'm eventually going to need financial help to keep us in there … or find a better job."

Ares hummed around a drink from his bottle. Placing his cigarette back in his mouth, he freed up his hand and opened his omni-tool. He flicked through it before tapping a few commands and saying, "There …. One of my accounts is linked to yours now."

Shocked, Charles raised an eyebrow. He definitely didn't expect Ares to give him that level of access, even if he knew Ares had multiple accounts. He was sort of scared to even look at just how many credits Ares entrusted to him. And, the conversation went smoother than he'd anticipated, not that he thought Ares would tell him no, but with as much as the turian liked to bitch about wasting credits ….

"Thanks." Giving Ares a soft smile, he nodded. "Thoughts on dinner?"

"Fuck, anything. I'm starving." Ares took the last drag from his cigarette before smashing it in the ashtray on Charles' lap. "And don't worry about credits. I make a lot of credits doing something I enjoy, and I haven't found anything to spend them on …. Might as well do it on this."

Even though he acted so blasé about the whole thing, Charles knew it was a bigger deal to Ares than he let on. It was a sign of his trust—his love—for Charles. But Charles also knew if he commented on it in any way, Ares would close off and shut him down.

I love you, too, Ares.

"You're always starving." A wry smile ghosted over Charles' lips, and he picked up the ashtray and Paragade. "I'm still just not used to it, you know? Having someone willing to help out and credits not being a constant concern." He turned, laying his head in Ares lap to keep the turian close and swung his legs up to rest his heels on the arm of the couch. Setting the ashtray on his stomach, he put the Paragade on the table.

"I'll still have certain … opinions on what you'll be buying." Ares took a long drink from his bottle before dangling his arm over the side of the couch. "I can see your account spending now too, you know."

Charles shrugged and took a drag. "I can live with that." In fact, he kind of liked it. Hell, he liked anything that linked them a little tighter together. He grinned. "I'll just have to load credits to a chit if I want to surprise you with something." Putting out his cigarillo, he opened his omni-tool and started looking at nearby restaurants that delivered.

"Just don't make that a habit," Ares grumbled before finishing his beer and setting the bottle down on the end table. "Get something that actually gives me enough food for our credits. None of that dieting shit that costs way too much and tastes like a varren's ass."

Charles snorted, tipping his head back a bit to look up at Ares. "Afraid I don't know what varren's ass tastes like."

"Bad," Ares said with a grunt.

Laughing, Charles reached up with his free hand to trace the curve of Ares' mandible before caressing his mouth plates with a thumb. He smiled and let his hand drop, keeping his gaze on the turian for a moment before turning his attention back to choosing a restaurant.

"You're strange when you do that." Ares huffed but moved his hand to brush his fingers through Charles' hair. "My plates don't even feel all that different. Not like this," he said, tugging just enough to get his point across.

A soft rumble rolled through Charles' throat. "I know … it's not something I really think about when I do it, though." He shrugged and glanced up at Ares again. "Sometimes … I just get the urge to touch you." He let out a soft sigh when Ares lifted a brow plate, a skeptical look crossing his face. "It makes me happy, okay?"

Ares took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "Fine."

"Does it really bother you?" Charles told the little voice in the back of his head spewing doubt and angst to shut the fuck up and watched Ares.

"It's just …." Ares hummed, looking up as his mandibles fluttered a few times. "No one does that."

"I thought you'd be used to my touch by now?" Swallowing, Charles reined in his emotions, prepared to lock them away if need be. "Ares, if it bothers you, you know I'll stop."

"It doesn't bother me. It … It's different." Ares flicked his mandibles once before looking back down at Charles. "And no, I'm still not used to it."

Charles let out another soft, sad sigh and sat up. Turning on the couch to sit sideways, he looked at Ares and said, "You know when you push your forehead against mine?"

"Of course I do." Ares gave him an exasperated look. "I do it, don't I?"

Charles snorted, shaking his head at yet another human habit confusing the turian. "Yeah, and I love it. But why do you do it? What makes you decide to do it?"

Ares' expression shifted, uncertainty flickering in his eyes as he hummed and glanced away. "I don't know …. I just want to do it."

"I know." Charles reached out and settled his hand on Ares' face, urging the turian to return his gaze as he brushed his fingers over Ares' mandible. "I think this … is kinda the same thing for me."

"No, it's not," Ares said with a rumble, and it felt like a slap to Charles' face. He shifted to better look at Charles. "Anyone would want to do this with you … but no one has wanted to do it with me."

Brow furrowing, Charles swallowed. He wasn't even going to argue the point of there being a ton of people out there without any desire to be affectionate toward him. "No one else matters but me," he said, repeating something Ares said to him once, "and I want to do it with you. I only want to do it with you."

Ares let out a deep breath as he wrapped his hand around Charles' wrist, but he didn't make any move to pull Charles' hand away. "You have to imagine what it's like …. Everyone has looked at me with either pity or disgust and never even thought of touching me … until you …. I'm still not used to it."

Leaning in, Charles tugged at Ares, pushing their foreheads together. "I know I can't really understand what you've been through or how your scars have changed the way people treat you …. You may not believe me, but I wish I could know what it's like for you. I'd take the scars from you if I could; they don't bother me, but I know they bother you. I can't, though." He let out a heavy sigh and squeezed his eyes closed, wrapping his hand around the back of Ares' head. "I love you, Ares. Jesus Christ, I wish you really understood that. I love the hell out of you, exactly as you are."

"Probably better that you can't have them," Ares said, clearly avoiding Charles' real point, "You'd probably have died without plates for that bit of extra protection."

Lifting the corner of his mouth in a smirk, Charles shifted enough to press a chaste kiss to Ares' mouth before saying, "Probably." Pushing to his knees to adjust, he turned and butted his way over to sit sideways in Ares' lap. "But I'd give my life for you, too."

Ares hummed deeply, avoiding Charles' gaze for a long moment before huffing. "I thought we were looking for food."

Snorting, Charles just wriggled a little, getting comfortable and pulling his omni-tool open again. With his side pressed to Ares' keel, back against the arm of the couch, he rested his head on Ares' cowl and started scrolling through the options again.

"Anything good?" Ares rested his chin on Charles' head, rumbling.

Charles smiled to himself. "Eh … if I wasn't tired, I'd cook. But …" He stopped at an entry for a place called The Painted Shell. "This will do." He turned the omni-tool enough for Ares to look at.

"What the fuck is 'fusion food?'" Ares asked, cynicism heavy in his voice.

"I don't know." Charles grinned. "But we haven't tried this place, and they've got both levo and dextro, so why not?"

Humming, Ares reached down and scrolled through the menu. He took only a moment before ordering three servings of a dish with purple and blue chunks of meat in some sort of gravy. Scrolling a bit more, he picked a single order of another item actually containing vegetables mixed in with the meats.

"For the kid," he explained before sitting back and signaling Charles to go ahead.

Smiling, Charles spent a moment looking through the menu before ordering a stir fry with some sort of asari grain, vegetables, and chunks of elyine. As he typed in his account information, the door opened and Talak came inside, taking Eezo off her leash. He stopped just inside the living room, mandibles fluttering and a dubious look crossing his face as he looked at Charles and Ares snuggled up together. Charles snorted, finishing the order and closing the omni-tool.

"I didn't get a chance to get together that list of shit I wanted to give him," Ares said, huffing before looking at Charles. "You distracted me with food."

Charles smiled up at him. "We've got time. Relax, you're supposed to be enjoying your downtime, remember?" He glanced back at Talak and said, "Have a seat."

"I'm starting to doubt the reasoning behind 'downtime,'" Ares grumbled.

Charles chuckled, picking up the remote and tossing it to Talak as the kid sat down at the far end of the couch, mandibles dancing nervously around his face. Then, he lifted up enough to kiss Ares' mandible before tucking an arm in around Ares' side, settling in with the intention of staying on the turian's lap until he forcibly removed him. Ares merely sighed and shifted, but his grip on Charles didn't loosen as he feigned boredom at watching Talak flip through channels.