Compromise

Charles heard the sound of the door's buzzer, but he didn't pay it any mind, figuring Ares must've ordered something to eat or more supplies for the spare room. A few minutes later, though, the bedroom door opened. He cracked his eyes and glanced over, expecting to find Talak staring at him again. Instead, he found Cammus lingering just inside the room, an uncertain look on his face.

Charles grinned and started to push himself upright, the action sending a jolt of pain lancing through his shoulder and chest, making him wince. A high-pitched, worried trill seeping through his second larynx, Cammus rushed to Charles' side. He slid his arms around Charles, helping to tug him into a sitting position. Finding the turian's concern endearing and amusing, Charles let out a soft chuckle and squeezed his friend's shoulder before patting the same spot.

"I'm alright," Charles said, meeting Cammus' gaze when he let him go. "Really, the danger has already passed, more or less."

Fluttering his mandibles and humming, Cammus took a step back but didn't go far. "I hope I didn't wake you." He shuffled his feet and glanced back over his shoulder as if he might spot the other turian through the walls. "Aeilanus said you were awake and to just come in here."

"Nah, I wasn't sleeping. Just laying here, being bored out of my mind and wanting a cigarillo." Charles snorted and smiled despite the shock of pain. "Don't worry, I haven't had one since the day this shit happened. Aeilanus won't let me."

"Hm. Good," Cammus said, crossing his arms over his chest, "you were shot in the lung and almost died." Flicking a mandible, he smirked. "The last thing you need is to smoke."

"The last thing I need is a bullet in the other lung, too." Charles waved his good hand at a chair in the corner. "Bring that over here and have a seat. Catch me up on what I'm missing."

"Not much, really." Bobbing his head, Cammus dragged the chair over, angled it toward Charles, and sat down. "Lania's been staying a little late past first shift to check in with us when we arrive, and Raxcibius comes in a little early for third to do the same. Hannah and Meerka have settled in just fine. The only complaints have come from Okal."

Charles smirked and shook his head a little. "Of course. The galaxy would be collapsing in on itself if she wasn't unhappy about something. What's she bitching about?"

Flicking a mandible, Cammus chuffed and said, "What isn't she bitching about?" A soft, pleased grin quirked his mouth plates when Charles chuckled. He stretched out his legs and leaned back in the chair, folding his hands over his abdomen before continuing, "The inconvenient timing of you getting injured is probably at the top of the list. I suspect she tried to convince the other shift managers to side with her and request she replace you for second shift."

Charles raised an eyebrow, and Cammus hummed and nodded. The idea of working under Okal chaffed worse than the idea of Irene getting out of prison and being given her old job back. Not that he liked Okal less than Irene, exactly, but the middle-aged salarian woman was so over-the-top OCD it'd drive everyone insane. He wouldn't last very long with Okal as his supervisor … or rather, she wouldn't live very long.

"Obviously it didn't go over very well." Cammus shrugged and flared his mandibles before letting them flutter gently next to his chin. "She's been pouting and pointedly avoiding the both of them when they're there for a few days now. Mahlia seems to handle Okal pretty well, though. Keeps her busy."

"Good." Charles shifted a little, waving away Cammus' attempts to help before the man could make it out of his chair. "How's Acevia doing?"

"She's good. She's been spending a lot of time with a man she met at work, Tredexius." Brow plates shifting upward, Cammus added, "I think it means more to him than it does her."

"Why do you say that?" Charles asked.

"She invited him over while I was still there one night," Cammus said and then cleared his throat. "And although we'd met before, the shock, confusion, and wounded pride rolled off of him when he caught our shared scent in the air."

Charles pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. "Ouch. So, what happened? Did he say anything?"

"No." Cammus shook his head a little and then scratched between his mandible and jaw. "He didn't really need to. Turians say so much through our scents …. Acevia and I both knew it upset him, and he and I both knew she regretted causing him pain. And, I'm sure they both smelled my confusion and disapproval." Frowning, he added, "I left after that. I figured they needed to talk through some things and discuss where they stood."

"When was this?" Charles asked, wondering how the conversation turned out.

"Three nights ago. We're supposed to have lunch tomorrow, so hopefully the issue is settled." Cammus looked out the glass wall over the patio, the silence sitting for only a second before he spoke again, "This is a really nice place. How did the two of you afford this?"

"The inheritance from my father," Charles said, which really wasn't all that true considering Ares barely let him pay for anything anymore, not since Charles mentioned he'd eventually need help paying for things.

Humming, Cammus stood and picked up the chair. "I should actually get going. My shift starts in an hour." He carried the chair back to where he found it and then walked back over to the bed. "Call me if you get too bored or just want some company." Leaning over Charles, Cammus nipped his ear and said, "Get better and come back to work. We miss you."

Charles gave him a smile. "I miss you guys, too."

Whimpering as he rolled to his side, Charles sat up and dragged himself out of the bed. It was time he started moving around on his own, whether it still hurt or not. Hell, half the pain he was in came from laying in bed non-stop and not the actual injuries. He needed to get up and move. And … as much as he hated to admit it, it was time for Ares to go back to work. He'd long since passed the point of going stir-crazy, and Charles didn't think the turian was going to find the peace he needed until he had the chance to really rip into someone. He wasn't going to leave Charles to go do that until he knew Charles was going to be just fine without him for a few days.

And, if Charles wanted to go to Omega and rip into a few someones himself, then he needed to suck it up and get the fuck out of bed.

Stamping his jaw down on a pained groan, he pushed himself to his feet and fought a second to relax his injured arm at his side. His shoulder still gave him a deep, throbbing ache with use, but it felt far better than the sharp, shooting pains he'd started out with. The actual wound on his chest didn't hurt at all anymore unless he pushed on it, but his lungs burned with exertion and his lung capacity still sucked. Which meant Ares did his best to keep Charles in bed and drugged up, cigarillos well out of reach.

Unhurried as he moved through his prison cell a.k.a. 'the master bedroom', he shuffled into the adjoining bathroom and tugged at his pants out of the way one-handed. He shoved his boxers down and took aim at the toilet bowl, letting out a little groan as his bladder emptied. He stood there for a few seconds after the stream stopped, letting the last few drops fall before giving his cock a little shake and stuffing it away again.

After righting his clothes, he moved to the sink and rinsed his hand off before splashing some water on his face. Despite the constant bedrest complete with boredom and drug-induced sleep, his skin clung to a sickly pallor, crescent moons of darkness beneath his eyes. He tried but couldn't remember the latest dreams to wake him, but the soft snarls of the beast in the back of his head told him all he really needed to know.

Grunting at his reflection, he left the bathroom and went in search of Ares. Aside from a glow coming from the kitchen area, the only other light in the apartment slipped through the slightly cracked door leading to the spare room. Ares' Batcave. After finishing the work on the hidden partition, he turned the rest of the room into a home gym. Charles just barely heard the creak of a chain and muffled thumps of impact coming from the room.

Stopping in the doorway, he gently pushed the door open a little further and leaned against the frame. Eezo appeared out of nowhere, standing on her hind legs to press her front paws to his thigh and nuzzled her head into his hand. He stroked her soft, thickening fur as he watched Ares take swipes at his reinforced punching bag. The turian wore a special glove designed to cover the tips of his talons while leaving his palm free, allowing him to dish out punishment to the bag without ripping through the canvas and still maintain a good grip, should he need one.

A smile slipped over Charles' face as he watched the bare-chested man knee the bag before delivering a series of punches and kicks. He followed it up with what'd be eviscerating talon strikes in a real fight. Bulging muscles flexed and relaxed, gliding beneath Ares' hide as he continued his training, each ripple of movement drawing Charles' eye.

There was something so beautiful, so … graceful to Ares' deadliness, it made Charles' heart ache a little. It also made him feel inadequate as a species and a man. Though, of course, he'd damn sure never say so out loud. Ares would only scoff and argue with the compliments, never understanding Charles meant every word, and act as if the comparison between their species was a no-brainer.

With one final, deep slash, Ares sent the bag spinning before he stopped and turned to Charles. "You're supposed to be asleep," he said, the words coming out with a grunting rumble. He reached out and put a hand on the bag, stopping its movements.

"Been sleeping for weeks." Charles gave him a lopsided grin and tipped his head toward his shoulder. "I'm tired of sleeping."

"No. You've been asleep for …" Ares lifted his arm up to check the time on his omni-tool. "… six hours." Flicking his wrist, he closed the omni-tool. "Humans need eight … minimum. You? You need more."

Charles huffed, smile souring on his lips. "Eight is the recommended, not the minimum, and I was only awake for what? Six hours before I went back to sleep? I need to be up for a little while. Move around, stretch out a bit." Sighing, he raised an eyebrow and added, "I won't stay up long, I promise. Okay?"

Ares hummed and flicked a mandile before gesturing to the glass wall overlooking the garden area of their new place. "You want to walk? Do it out there. I hear it's … nice."

Pleased and a little amused by the easy victory, Charles pushed off the door frame and slowly crossed the floor to stand in front of Ares. Very carefully, he lifted his injured arm—gauging his pain levels because god knew Ares would smell it on him the moment it spiked—and curled his fingers around the lip of Ares' cowl, tugging gently. He settled the other hand on the turian's hip and tipped his head up, asking for a kiss.

A soft, barely audible purr emanated from Ares as he leaned down to let Charles kiss his mouth plates before shifting to press their foreheads together. "Take the dog out there with you."

Charles didn't say anything, just smiled, enjoying the warmth in his chest from the small bit of affection. Glancing back over his shoulder when Ares pulled away, he let out a soft whistle. Eezo came running, stopping just outside the door to Ares' gym. Undoubtedly, the turian persuaded the dog to stay out of his gym because she didn't seem to want to cross the threshold.

Calling to her again, Charles slapped his thigh, and she bounded into the room, tail wagging. "Come on girl, let's go outside." He gave Ares a little squeeze as he stepped away. "Love you," he said, the words soft and absentminded but no less real.

Ares rumbled, attention already moving on to the pulley system he'd set up to move the punching bag in and out of his secret alcove. Charles smiled to himself as he made his way to the sliding glass door and tugged it open. The sorta fresh air of the Citadel felt a little cool against his face compared to the heat Ares generated and filled the room with during his workout. Eezo followed him outside, and he pulled the door closed behind them.

Admittedly, it was kind of nice feeling grass beneath his bare feet as he began a steady pace of the garden area, moving between stepping stones and the lush greenery. Eezo ran down one side of the patio area before turning and running back the other. She made several more passes in the time it took Charles to reach one end of the grassy area, but as he turned to head back the other way, she slowed to a trot by his side.

Each step coming a little easier than the last, he rolled his head around, stretching out his neck and shoulders as he walked. Fuck, he wanted a cigarillo. And a drink of something a hell of a lot harder than Paragade. He knew it'd been long enough since he'd smoked that the cravings were purely psychological, but he really didn't give a damn. It was way low on the list of things he should be concerned about when it came to his psyche.

The patio door slid open, and Charles looked up to see Ares step outside carrying his cigarettes and a bottle of horosk, unintentionally taunting Charles. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the patio table, watching Charles and Eezo pace the yard. Charles let out a soft scoff but kept making his laps, even after Eezo abandoned him. She circled around Ares chair a few times before heading off to sniff around in the grass and take a piss.

After a few more minutes, Charles veered over to the low, half-glass wall and braced himself by gripping the edge. Deliberate and oh so cautious, he twisted at the waist, groaning and whimpering with pleasure as a series of pops rolled through his spine. Switching sides, he twisted the opposite direction, but he just couldn't put enough pressure on his injured shoulder to get the leverage he needed to finish cracking his back. A disappointed sigh slipped out of him as he eased himself back around, and then he went to take a seat across from Ares, contenting himself with second-hand smoke.

"How are you feeling? Physically," Ares asked, not looking away from some spot off in the distance.

"Stiff, mostly." Charles lifted his legs up to rest his heels on the seat of an empty chair. "I'm having some spasms in other muscles, just from lack of use. The shoulder is still throbbing, but the sharp pains are pretty much gone." He took a steady breath, filling his lungs as much as possible before letting it back out just as smoothly. "Breathing easier, still some tenderness and throbbing, though."

"Your doctor mentioned physical therapy." Ares hummed and shrugged before taking a drink from his horosk. "Might not hurt to look into for your misused muscles."

Charles let out a soft hum. "Well, you did just turn the room into a gym …."

Ares nodded. "There's online PT on the extranet. Just get signed up for a set of classes and use my equipment. Most of the gear is universal." He hummed and took a drag. "I'll get you some human shaped grips, though. That is definitely something that isn't interchangeable."

Charles grunted his agreement and dropped a hand over the arm of the chair when Eezo came wandering up. She sniffed and licked his fingers before positioning her head beneath his palm, and he started a lazy rhythm of stroking her fur. She was getting so big, but she'd hit an awkward stage in her development where it seemed like her legs grew faster than the rest of her body, giving her a gangly appearance.

"I take it you've already looked into some online PT classes?" Charles raised an eyebrow as he spoke, gaze idly roaming over Ares.

It wouldn't surprise Charles at all. As gruff and rough around the edges as Ares seemed, he did care about Charles and wanted to take care of him. Just thinking about it warmed Charles. In all his years, he'd never met anyone besides his turian who made him feel so many different emotions so deeply. Sure, it included some negative feelings from time to time like fear, doubt, shame, and inadequacy … but over the last few weeks, all Charles felt when it came to Ares was safe and loved.

"A bit," Ares said as he put his cigarette in his mouth and opened his omni-tool. "I haven't researched specific exercises because I know the basics from the military. I found five options you can look through for your preference. I also found doctors near the apartment as well as your work that you can choose from for your chiropractic massages and acupuncture."

Considering it for a few moments in silence, Charles pursed his lips before saying, "I need another outlet for the beast until I'm well enough to go to Omega." It wasn't in line with the conversation, not directly, but Charles knew Ares understood it was every bit as important for his recovery as physical therapy. "And, I should get back to work as soon as possible, while I still have a job to return to."

"The latter I'm not concerned about, but just what are you going to do about your other problem?" Ares raised a brow plate and shifted his cigarette between his mouth plates.

Puffing his cheeks, Charles let out a harsh breath of air. "Not a clue. I'd been using work and fucking as a distraction, but I was really looking forward to Omega. I'd pretty much put it off as long as I could when this shit happened." He glanced longingly at the cigarette hanging from Ares' mouth. "Maybe getting back to work and physically active again will be enough." He shrugged. "If it's not … I don't know. But, I do know you're the only person alive who stands a chance of ripping me free from its grip if it takes a hold of me again."

Sarah was the only other person who ever might've pulled it off, but she'd long ago stopped being counted among the living. Fuck he still missed her like crazy. Sometimes, the grief just completely sidelined him, crushing his heart and leaving him breathless and fragile.

Ares hummed and took the cigarette from his mouth, holding it toward Charles. He pulled it back before Charles processed the offer and held up his other hand. "I'll get your cigarillos tomorrow, but you're still restricted on how many …."

Surprise lifting his eyebrows and widening his eyes, Charles carefully leaned forward and took the cigarette from between Ares' fingers. He held it carefully, treating it like spun glass as he sat back against his chair. "Oh God, thank you. I doubt I'll be able to handle much anyway, even if my lung wasn't fucked up. Not with as long as it's been."

He took a shallow drag, moaning as the smoke rolled over his tongue, burning his throat as it made its way to his lungs. He fought the urge to cough, holding the smoke there for a second until the spasm passed and let him blow it out in a controlled fashion. It left him lightheaded and euphoric … and maybe a tiny bit nauseated.

So worth it.

Thumb aimlessly fidgeting with a pulled back corner of the label on the bottle of horosk, Ares looked out over the horizon. A moment later, he rumbled and glanced at Charles. "Violence feeds it, but do you need to be a part of the violence?"

Taking another measured, slightly deeper drag, Charles thought about it for a moment. "Eventually … yes, but not always. It's the … it's the blood and the screams more than anything." He licked his lips and swallowed, even talking about it made his adrenaline pump, the beast perking up to take notice. "Watching the light fade from their eyes."

Ares hummed before taking a long drink. "The docks," he said with a firm nod. "There's a … fight club, if you want to call it that. Most call it 'The Pit'. You can't compete, but you might get to feel something watching."

Charles nodded, flicking the ashes off the cigarette into the ashtray. "If you're there with me. Like I said, you're the only one I think who can bring me back from that place, and with as keyed up as I've already been … going it alone wouldn't be wise. But neither would going with anyone else." He took one more drag and then regretfully leaned forward to hand the cigarette back to Ares.

"Keep it." Ares held up his bottle before taking a drink. "See how soon you can get back up on your feet, working, and doing your PT. I'll look into when they'll be having a match and where in the docks it'll be."

"Honestly, since I'm a manager now and don't have to do physical work if I don't want to, I can probably go back to work whenever. I'll take a taxi instead of walking to keep the excess strain at a minimum. And, if I feel like I need to, I'll come home early." Charles took another drag, the ache starting to build in his lungs. Blowing it back out, he contented himself with just holding the cigarette for awhile, feeling the heat of the cherry and smelling the smoke.

Ares shrugged. "All your call. You think working will help, then work. You don't want to, then don't. I'm just going to make sure you get some strength back into your body before we go to Omega."