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Charlie tilts his head to the side to that Frank has better access. It was a stroke of luck for them to have found that shaving kit and somehow had something The Trader deemed valuable enough to give it up.
A sigh is pulled from his lips as he can feel the hair be cut from his face. Never the one for facial hair. He'd let it reach the 5 o'clock shadow phase and then off it came. He was only grateful time ran differently here. He's not sure what he would do if he had a decade long beard.
Frank keeps his eyes trained on the rows of dark hair, being as careful as he can to keep the razor parallel to the skin as to not cut it with no cream to buffer. After a few moments of silence, he pipes up.
"You wear a ring on a chain. You married?"
Charlie's neck tenses a bit at the question as his hand comes up to run over the smooth metal.
"Not... not legally. But in a sense I was."
" 'Not legally', what's that supposed to mean?"
Frank stops short and he leans over to look at Charlie. The other man refuses to make eye contact.
"I wouldn't be legally allowed to. For multiple reasons."
Charlie's gaze trails down to the stone floor underneath them. His foot begins to tap on the floor. 'Dumbass... you should have just said yes and left it at that.' All he can do is hope that Frank reads between the lines and drops it.
"Chuck, you aren't making any sense-"
Franks shakes his head as he resumes shaving. Charlie huffs and drops his hand from the chain.
"Does it fucking matter now? Both of them are dead so-"
"Both of them?"
Charlie flinches at the nick that catches his skin. Frank finally catches Charlie's gaze with such an intensity that it alone carves a pit deep in Charlie's stomach.
"A slip of the tongue, I-"
"What? You got a wife and a girlfriend?!"
"No! Frank-! Christ! Calm down for a second. It's not like that. It's not-"
Charlie pulls away from the other man with hands up in a surrender. He knows he mentioned 'both' but that was a quick leap to make. And based off of his expression-...
'It was the last time I ever saw her. Resignation and anger. That's the last thing she knew me for.'
'Look, you aren't past redemption. I'm still reeling over some of my own mistakes. But we can be better.'
Ah.
Charlie shifts and rests his hands on his thighs.
"Look. I wasn't living any double life. I wasn't cheating. I wasn't doing any of that. I was..." His hands scrunch the fabric of his trousers. "I was somewhat of a third... party in my partner's relationship."
Frank looks over Charlie's for any indication that he was joking. Nothing gave. Only truth laced with a deep sorrow.
"You were sleeping with Roland and his wife."
"Frank!" Charlie huffs with exasperation. "No! I mean, y- that's not important. We were so much more than just a long-term fling. I was a part of their family. I lived with them. Hell, I was something of an uncle to their daughter and I treated her like she was my own. I still want to... Fuck, just believe me when I say it was mutual, and achingly sweet, and full of so much love. I mean it. Love."
Frank stares at him for a moment before shaking his head, and swiping away the blood from Charlie's cheek. He resumes shaving while the gears turn in his mind.
" 'Love'... I'm not sure how to respond to that, Chuck."
"You don't have to. Just drop it."
And they do. For the time being. Though now every time Frank looks down at the gleam of gold from between Charlie's collarbone, a small thought blooms. That maybe there are other ways to love. And another blooms every time those soft brown eyes meet his and those dimples deepen with a cocky smile. That maybe it is possible to love a man too.