Aria
Later that evening, in the kitchen, while she cooked, she looked lost in thought. He didn't talk about who he'd lived with after his father's passing... And she wondered about that, but she wondered if she should. She hoped he'd be here soon, though she appreciated him letting her go to get dinner started early. She tossed her head a little, trying to decide if she was going to ask this one tonight or not.

Pao
Rhys came in from the freezing cold after grabbing the laptop to bring it in to charge since they'd have to go back out in the morning for more troubleshooting. So he went and got that done before heading to the kitchen and, still radiating cold, he walked up behind Seren and gave her a hug. Mostly because he wanted to hug her, but also partly because he maybe wanted to steal some of her warmth.

"Warm..." he murmured into her hair before eventually letting go and moving to grab the things for the table. "So what are we havin' tonight, love?"

Aria
She eeped, startled, when he hugged her, at the surprise cold, then leaned back against him to share her heat with him willingly. "Mmmm poor babe, havin' to get so cold." She smiled a little and shrugged. "Garlic Rosemary chicken with some butter rice, and sautéed Veggies." She watched him moving around the table, her eyes gentle as she continued to ponder.

Finally, she said "Babe... After... your dad passed, who raised you? Did you have to go into foster care?" She'd heard horror stories about foster care.

Pao
"Am lucky to have you to warm me up again," he said back, smiling as he started setting out the plates. With her description and the aroma that gradually filled the space his stomach started grumbling a bit. "Sounds like I already can't wait for it." There was a chuckle as he finished setting the table, and he was about to make his way back over to her to watch her cook (and probably snuggle all the while) when she asked that question, and it stopped him in his tracks.

He tried to play it off as casually as he could by deciding to just lean on the counter nearby, and he shrugged. "I technically did, but my dad's girlfriend at the time took me in to use as a meal ticket, kinda thing."

Aria
She winced, seeing his response, and his words made her face go sad. She frowned down at the pan with the veggies she was sautéing, and considered her words. "Babe... I'm sorry... Gods." She sighed softly. Being used as a meal ticket was sick, and she had a feeling he wasn't telling her all of it from the way he stopped moving.

She wished he would come over, because she wanted to hold him, but couldn't because she was cooking. "Did she... hit you, or anything?" Her chest was tight at the question, because the idea of him having to endure beatings, too, was horrible. "Is... she why you mentioned... having jobs even as a kid?" She paused, then covered her mouth. "I... sorry... I mean, I know you said I could ask but... It's clearly not something you really want to talk about."

Pao
There was that side, the side that lingered very much in his past and allowed it to define who he was today, that wanted her to just stop. To stop asking, to stop being curious...maybe even to stop caring a little because dredging things up just really hurt. But another side, the better side that knew he had to push past everything from his past that was blocking him from having a better future with her, continually beat that side into submission whenever the questions came from her. With a sigh he inched closer, a hand going through his hair as he did. His eyes were looking down and his shoulders hunched over...he just looked really small, in a way.

And again he slowly hugged her from behind, as much for comfort as it was to help him gather up the strength he needed to give her the answers to those questions. "No, I wanna answer...just need a second," he said quietly, then sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

After a beat he said, "Sometimes there was hitting. If there was no food or if things weren't how she liked them. She wasn't a neat freak but things had their place and I had to remember. I learned quick that I could never ask for money, so yeah..." and he paused to take another deep breath. "She was the reason I started working so young. I did just about everything, like I told you before. Under the table, wherever the bosses were willing, and of course under minimum wage. That was 'til I got to the legal age to start working."

Another pause that allowed him to nuzzle into her for a second. "Even before that though, she took just about every cent I made. As a kid she took all of it and gave me just enough back to buy snacks at school. As I got older I worked more jobs and started paying some of the rent and utilities. Then all of the rent and utilities. She just...went, spinning tricks and getting high or drunk or both. I tried to not be at home as much as possible, which is why I even started going to that rec center..."

Aria
Her eyes were watching him, and seeing him look so small... She'd never seen that before, but she knew what it felt like. Watching him move closer, though, made her feel better. Once he was holding her, she leaned back, just a little, trying to give him as much love as she could, while still making sure she got their dinner prepared.

She just listened to every word, letting him speak, letting him nuzzle her, letting him do whatever it was he needed. Before he was done, the veggies were finished, so she shifted them off the stove and into a serving dish. The rice was already in a warmer, and the chicken was in the oven, so she had a moment. She turned in his arms to hold him, shifting them to the counter so she could lean safely. When he finished talking, she just gently pulled him in for a loving kiss, her eyes closing for a moment as she remembered the misery in his eyes when he talked to her about the rec center.

That he went there was... partly the fault of the woman who should have been protecting him horrified her. She couldn't make that go away, but she could remind him she loved him, and was there for him in every way she could. Finally, she broke the kiss and whispered "I'm sorry, babe. I love you."

Pao
The kiss brought him out of his head for a second, and just filled him with warmth and love and comfort. All the things he needed to keep him going, because he wasn't done, and so he kissed her back, grateful that she was there and in his arms and offering all of these things to him so willingly. When she pulled back and said those words he nodded, eyes meeting hers for all of a second before he closed his eyes again.

"So I worked as many jobs as I could keep up with, sometimes even more than that, all through high school just to make sure I could feed myself on top of taking care of all of her expenses. Drugs and booze aren't exactly cheap, and she'd still beat me with whatever she could if I didn't hand her the rent money every month. Sometimes twice a month, 'cause like hell she'd actually use her own money. I had enough free time to dedicate to football but not enough to school, so my grades dropped. Barely stayed on the team, and my only hope of goin' to college and gettin' outta there--a football scholarship--just slipped through my fingers 'cause I couldn't keep my grades up enough for coach to take me off the bench."

The frustration and the anger he felt were drowned out by the intense sorrow that always swallowed him whole when he thought about his life. How his parents had gone, how he was robbed of his innocent and any semblance of a normal childhood, and how he had no choice but to scrape by under that woman's roof because moving would cost him way much more than just staying where he was and dealing with it.

"And that was my ********' sophomore year when my grades slipped. By junior year I just accepted it and focused on what I could do for myself in the gym instead. Coach helped me with that because he felt sorry for me and the wasted potential."

Aria
She just kept holding him, and listening, and understanding all too well. She slipped up, and onto the counter, pulling him with her so she could hold him as close as she could, her head resting against his, her eyes filled with sadness at what his life had been. She didn't have words, because to say something here would either sound empty and meaningless, 'I understand', or just pile her own grief on his... And unless he asked her, she wasn't going to do that. He was sharing his sorrows right now, and she wasn't going to make him deal with hers.

Instead, every so often, when there was a moment she could get a kiss in, she did, to remind him she was there, she loved him, and she wanted to do everything she could to make his life better, the way he did for her.

She wished she could go back and slap all those assholes in the past, who took small children and abused them.

Pao
All that she did for him in there, the silence and the kisses and moments of offering whatever comfort she could, he appreciated every one of them. There were no words she could say that would erase anything that happened to him before, and so just reminding him of the here and now, that she was there, meant the world to him.

"Work piled on even more after high school. No more homework to waste my time on, so all the jobs, all the ********' time. Two years of my life was day in and day out work, and then I get the offer from Deus." He scoffed at that memory. "I can't believe I even ********' hesitated, thinking my life was gonna get better after a couple more years. Then later I get this eviction notice 'cause that lady hadn't been paying rent with the money I hemorrhaged for it every month. I packed up and left, hoped to gods that the recruiter would find me again and she did. Basically how I wound up here, finally."

And then he kissed her, softly as the relief that his story was finally over. "And I met you here, so in a way Deus is probably the second-best thing that ever happened to me."

Aria
She kissed him back, and blinked a little, confused. "Second best?" She wasn't connecting, as she often didn't, to what he was getting at. She just held him, her fingers caressing his cheek softly. She was going to kiss him again, but the oven timer dinged, so she sighed and slipped free of him, and the counter. She grabbed a mitt, and pulled out the chicken, giving it a critical once over, before grabbing a trivet and carrying it to the table.

She returned, and brought the veggies and the rice next, settling into a chair, looking at him quietly, waiting for him to come, so he could serve himself first.

Pao
Her confusion confused him, but he smiled in that amused way he always did when she was adorable for the silliest reason. "You're the first, babe," he said as he leaned into her touch, enjoying being so close to her...and then the oven dinged and she slipped away. The brunette sighed and turned to watch his love work, eyes following her until she was setting the food on the table. Only then did he make his way over and sit down.

"Thanks for makin' dinner again, by the way," he said as he reached over and grabbed her empty plate, so he could serve her first. He put just one piece, a bit on the larger side, on her plate, along with some rice and some veggies before scooting it back to her and serving himself. "I don't think I thank you enough for that, so yeah."

Aria
His comment about her being the first made her cheeks go red, as she realized what he had been saying, and feeling silly for not getting it. "Oh!" She bit her lip, but smiled at him, eyes bright with the love she felt for him. "Yeah... Once again, it's mutual, love." She brushed her hair back, wishing she had brought the hair clips he'd given her with her, but having left them at home because they'd hurt too much to look at during those days.

His thanks were met with a smile. "Of course, babe. I like cooking for you, you know that." She really did, too. It might be very 50s-ish, and some might call it not very feminist, but cooking for him made her feel good, feel like she was giving him a small piece in return for all the things he did for her that made life so much more wonderful. She gave him thanks for serving her, and waited while he served his own chicken. She pondered the piece he gave her, and nodded a little, thinking she could manage it tonight.

Pao
As usual he got double her portion, shooting her a little smile both for the mutual love and comment and saying that she liked cooking for him. "I do know that, but I still wanna thank you 'cause I love you, and you know that." After he cut his chicken into smaller portions he took his first bite and closed his eyes, a quiet groan escaping him as he worked through that first bite. And then all the bites that came after until he got up to get them drinks.

"As usual," said the brunette as he went, "********' amazing. Every single time, I swear."

Aria
She laughed and nodded at his words, eating quietly, and trying to ignore that he was, once again, groaning. When he went to go get them a beverage, she gave a soft sigh, and shifted a little to find a spot on the chair that was just a touch colder then before, hoping to help distract herself.

His compliment, though, earned him one of her happy, bright smiles, the ones that only came out when he really made her feel amazing and happy. "Only the best for you, babe." Was all she said, though.

Pao
He came back and set her water down first before taking a seat. There was just something about taking care of the little things for her that made him feel like he could start doing more and more in the long run, and he was just happy to do it, too. "You are the best, babe," he said, taking in that bright, beautiful smile of hers and giving her one of his own. Whenever she smiled at him like that he was again reminded of how much he loved her and wanted to do everything within his power to have her keep smiling like that, to make sure that she felt loved and was happy.

After taking a sip, he went back to his food, then looked up and nodded at her plate. "Too much for tonight?" he asked, a hint of his worries in his voice.

Aria
She blushed at being called the best, and found herself wishing this table was designed in a way that they could sit together, instead of across from each other. She wanted to cuddle into him. Instead, she drank some of her water, then began to eat again, still slow and careful, gauging how she felt with each bite. She looked up at his question.

"Not sure yet, love. Still working on it. It's never easy for me to be sure..." She sighed, hearing the worry in his voice, and wishing she didn't cause him those worries. She wished it was easier to do this, but eating herself sick wouldn't help either.

Pao
He nodded, frown turning into more a of a worried, lopsided type. "Alright, well don't force it, alright? I'd hate to see you get sick."

Honestly he wasn't sure how to encourage her or anything like that; the best he could do was let her know that he was just there and supportive and not trying to force her to fix herself right away. Like him, this and anything else would take time to heal. It may not even fully heal, but if they worked through things together he was sure that things would get better.

Aria
She reached across the table to caress his hand for a moment, silently trying to say she knew, and it was ok. She just kept working on her meal. She got most of it down, more then she might have before, but finally had to push it away, sighing softly.

She would beat this, though. She was determined about that.

Pao
Finally he smiled, weak but extending as much comfort and support to her through it as he could. He took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze, particularly when she pushed her plate away unfinished. He was about done after finishing his plate so he got up and gently pulled her up and into his arms again.

"Hey, even just one more bite every meal is progress. You'll get past this, babe, and I'll be here to help however I can."

Aria
She cuddled against him, her head resting on his chest, listening to the comfortable sound of his heart beating. She hadn't know before they started cuddling and sharing close quarters how soothing a heartbeat could be. She did sigh, a little, and nod at his words.

"I know. I refuse to let this beat me. It's just frustrating sometimes, when I see the food left... Like I was so close to finishing, you know?"

Pao
He nodded slowly, stroking her hair as a means to comfort her as she spoke. If this was all he could do for her, hold her and comfort her, it might make him wish he could do more but he would do this for forever if it helped her at all.

"I get it," he said softly on a sigh. "And I'm sorry if I added to that at all. If it's easier to make your own plates I won't do that again..."

Aria
She frowned at his words, and leaned up to kiss him, before she shook her head at him. "Don't feel bad about that, baby. It was sweet. I liked it. And it's not like I'm ever sure what I'm serving myself will be in the right amount. It's hard to tell sometimes, and I thought honestly I could manage it at first. Don't... Don't think you made it worse. You made me feel good when you did that."

Pao
He watched her shake her head and smiled weakly, nodding. "Alright...but whatever I can do to help, don't hesitate to tell me?"

Aria
"I will, Rhys. Your support means everything to me." She rests her head against his chest again, just taking strength from being there with him.

Pao
With a smile he gave her a little squeeze, lifting her up off the ground as he did. "Always gonna be here for you, babe," he said before setting her down again. "I love you."

Aria
She laughed, startled when he lifted her, and smiled that bright smile at him. "I love you too, Rhys." She leaned up, kissed his chin, then gently pulled free to begin cleaning up, putting away leftovers, and getting the dishes started.