Kyle
Between their conversation birds began to chirp. The waking call of a new dawn echoed across the empty crisp spring morning. 

So far the two had done nothing dumb, instead chose to sit against the concrete roof and talk. Ares didn't seem to have an issue with this, despite his mind protesting and calling this boring. The atmosphere was nice, and this far beat spending it alone in his dorm. 

With a couple words, Ares gasped. "You've never had an Arepa? *Ay bendito*-" He leaned back even farther and grumbled, almost teasing Finley with dramatic agony. He shot back upwards with a smile. "I'll definitely have to make you some eventually, they are my absolute favourite."

"You think it fits me? Makes sense. I mean-" He gestured down at himself. "Look at me." Then he let out another snicker. It seemed this conversation was amusing to him, considering the frequent laughter.

Ares sat beside the other, the awkward moments of the first few meetings lessened the more they talked. The dark haired boy surely had no issues talking to Fin, and felt far from uncomfortable, but he could feel the fidgety attitude in the blonde. Interesting. He shoved the thought out of his mind. The night continued to sing songs of the coming morning, the stars danced across the sky. Ares craned his head upwards to meet the gaze of the moon, his warm breath illuminated ever so slightly by the cold white light. The chill crept up his skin, and made home under his hoodie, but he was starting to get used to it. 

"That sounds funny." Ares laughed in response to the chemistry comment. Daring some kid to drink a mystery liquid sounded like a fantastic pass time to the boy. "Gender? Damn was the motherfucker bein a bitch?" Ares scoffed. "I'd beat his ass." He let his scowl raise back up into his smirk, almost not truly angry. 
_ _

Ares in all reality had no care for what the blonde beside him identified as. He knew how they wanted to be referred, and would use those accordingly. 

That wouldn't stop him from teasing the ever loving hell out of them.
Teri
Crickets and morning birds rose to life, just barely, the beginnings of indigo pursuing the crisp, jagged edges of the horizon. Something flit through the trees just beyond, and for a moment, Finley fell into the cliché of envy - how a bird could go anywhere, do anything. And yet, maybe then, feel nothing. The age old question, the consideration of freedom or happiness. 

They thought of their new friends. Of Annika. 

The idea of Ares cooking almost made them laugh.
"I'll take you up on the offer," They said, a laugh finally breaking through their voice. Ares's response to their story, the words, the scoff in his voice, loosened the stiffness of their shoulders, only just. 
*Oh.*

Gratitude may not have been the best word, they thought, taking the spare silence to bite at their nail. Validation, maybe, sweeping around their feet. 

"I appreciate that. He ah - yeah, he was a bitch, I won't even lie," They chuckled. "I think I was still working some things out at the time-"
A tiny wince.
"- And that certainly didn't help. But, I used to sneak up onto the roof at that school, too. I used to try and hit people's cars in the lot with pebbles. Once, I chipped the windshield of the Vice Principal's car. No one ever found out, and I've sworn my sister to secrecy."

A laugh dwindled off their words. They rested their chin on their knees as the wind began to blow again. Surely the time was closer to 4:30, or even 5 - who knew how the time had fallen away. Oddly, they hadn't checked their phone the entire time. But they were growing comfortable in their company, content in the cold, and warm in their hoodie, pulling the hood up over their head. They closed their eyes against their knee.

They still knew so little about them, they realized. They opened their eyes and turned their head towards him, studying him from an upward angle below.

"I've talked so much. Tell me your best story."
Kyle
Ares sat stationary next to Finley, despite the fact he knew he could be anywhere, he had no complaints being *Here.* How strange. 

"You better. I swear to god you'll never forget the first time you eat an arepa its heaven." Fondness almost snuck its way under his teasing tone. Ares had very fond memories of cooking with his father and siblings. He couldn't wait to get the right ingredients and try properly on his own. The boy was begging for a taste of home.

Ares listened as the other spoke, running his hands through his hair occasionally. He has always had problems with sitting still, but he couldn't deny his intrigue in the trouble Finley got up to. Ares was definitely sizing them up in his find, comparing his own offences and came to the conclusion he was still worse. Wonderful. As he liked it.

"Definitely sounds like a bitch." Ares snickered a little. The insults fell naturally off his tongue, him and Safya used to do this all the time. 
"Yooo- That sounds like fun what? We should definitely do that sometime." A playful troublesome smirk rested nicely on his features. It was worn often and fit him very clearly. 

The sky continued to crawl upwards, conversation making the passing time lost on Ares. 

"My best story? Well damn there is a *Lot* Of good ones." He rested his hand on his chin in thought for a brief moment, before snapping them. A sign of an idea. "I have one! The story of how I got this scar." He tiled his head towards Finley, pointing at his ear. He had multiple piercings, but above his helix, an ugly scar was visible. It was a tear in his skin, very well healed over, but a sizeable chunk was missing. The closed wound was jagged, yet small. 

"So one day, my sister, Safya, stayed home from school. Sick or whatever." He adjusted his stance, leaning his elbows on his knees as they dangled off the ledge.
_ _

"This one dude I had beef with, decided this would be a good time to target me. Since my sister wasn't around. He started talking shit, and obviously I ain't gonna take that right?" Ares gestured wildly as he spoke, clearly drawing any and all into his story. Right now though, it was just Finley and the moon, but he spoke all the same.

"I swung first. I punched him square in the jaw. He didn't take this well, and jumped at me. He knocked me down to the concrete, and proceeded to keep hitting me yeah? Well, on the way down, his force ripped my ear piercing *Clean out.*" Drawing the last syllable on for dramatic effect. "I managed to kick him in the gut, and then punched him in the face, breaking his nose. I kicked him off me, and managed to win the fight in the end- but I walked home with a blood soaked shirt. My god my mama was *Pissed.*" He laughed as he spoke of his mother. A tall scary woman, who was incredibly loving but had no tolerance for Ares' delinquent behaviour.

"I don't fuck with my mama, I think I learned fear that day- my god." The dark haired boy laughed, very obviously joking.