1 - 20 of 79 Bookmarked Items in Charles Rowland-centric (DCU)
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There's a flash of hurt in Edwin's eyes and Charles knows that he's managed to fuck up again like he always does, like the piece of shit he knows he is.
Woah.
That was an intense thought.
However, when he tries to take one of those famous calming breaths, he realizes with dawning horror that it's not working anymore.
~ * * * ~
In which Charles is hit with a spell that makes the target lose control of the emotion they're ashamed of most.Written for Payneland Pumpkinfest 2025 Day 4: Spells and Potions
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 8,318
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 8
- Kudos:
- 77
- Bookmarks:
- 6
- Hits:
- 475
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I'd Walk to the Depths of the World Down Below by isnt_that_wizard
Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
06 Feb 2025
- Words:
- 22,734
- Works:
- 2
- Bookmarks:
- 14
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The one where Charles can't rest because he wants to protect Edwin
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"Why him, Edwin?" Charles pleads.
"Why not me?"
***
Charles has an unexpected reaction to learning of Monty and Edwin’s kiss.
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Most ghosts didn’t celebrate their birthdays.
But Charles Rowland wasn’t ‘most ghosts’.
Indeed, Charles’ birthday was a high point of the year, a guaranteed day of fun for himself and Edwin. The fun always helped to push down the unvoiced emotions below: the loss, the unresolved pain of his death, the feelings of failure and inadequacy. Charles saw no reason why this state of affairs shouldn’t continue forever.
But then he turned fifty.
Or:
How a medieval poem changed Charles’ afterlife forever.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 23,354
- Chapters:
- 2/2
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 78
- Kudos:
- 131
- Bookmarks:
- 42
- Hits:
- 1,070
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Learning By Heart by Ice_Elf, Lundlaeva (Black_Crystal_Dragon)
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
31 Oct 2025
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Charles wakes up in the hospital after the incident with his mates and everything is—well, pretty aces actually. His dad’s being nice to him, his mates—former, now—have either been kicked out of school or are staying away from him, and he’s got a new roommate.
Edwin is kind and funny and really clever, and, best of all, he seems to think Charles is pretty great too. So what if he’s sometimes a little bit weird? Charles is still determined to get to know him better.
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in the name of love and something deeper still by imnotcryingipromise
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
27 Aug 2024
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"No, I- I think it's sweet that you care about him -that you want to protect him or his feelings or whatever- but you can't be alone forever for his sake," Crystal explains, panically.
Charles drops the girl's wrists then, turning his whole body away from her, the way a chided dog might cower in its cage.
"Maybe I can. I definitely feel like being alone right now," he snaps.
***
In which, during a romantic rendezvous, an obviously distracted Charles Rowland, admits to Crystal that he cannot stop thinking about Edwin. Expectedly, an argument ensues, leading to a startling realisation for the ghost boy.
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Crystal being upset that charles loves Edwin back >>>>
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I Turned Back One Last Time (just to prove you were there) by isnt_that_wizard
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
09 Jun 2024
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Since they'd fallen out of hell, the Night Nurse slamming the door on the awful baby doll demon behind them, Charles had been itching to touch Edwin. And it wasn't like his usual touch-oriented personality just wishing to have some sort of contact. He could control that easily enough after all this time.
No, this was something different.
This felt like a desperation. A need to be in Edwin's personal space, to keep his hands on him. He wanted to wrap his best friend in a hug and never let go, he wanted to sit as close as possible as they heard a new case. He wanted to take Niko’s place as she grabbed Edwin's hand to drag him to watch another one of her shows. He wanted to tuck Edwin against him as they sat on the couch. He would wrap an arm around Crystal and wish it was Edwin, who was merely across the room.
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After Hell, Charles is terrified of letting Edwin out of his reach for fear that he might get taken away again. He is, of course, being very subtle in his attempts to keep Edwin close.
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a series of moments when charles can't stop touching edwin to remind himself that he's real and safe, until it all finally catches up to him and he snaps
Series
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 16,953
- Chapters:
- 3/3
- Comments:
- 297
- Kudos:
- 2,418
- Bookmarks:
- 543
- Hits:
- 23,804
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The Miseducation of Charles Rowland by hobbitsdoitbetter
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
19 Feb 2025
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He doesn’t know what to do about it, really. It’s… Like, it’s not a problem, y’know?
It’s not a thing he feels like he has to solve.
He loves Edwin, and Edwin loves him. Nothing else matters… At least, it doesn’t anymore.
Charles Rowland, Queerness and accepting who you are and what you want.
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kick the last nail in by Cesare
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV), The Sandman (TV 2022)
06 Feb 2025
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"The tricky thing with ghosts is that you need to know who they used to be and why they're still hanging about, to get rid of them," Johanna says. "So if you want me a banish a ghost, you'll be on the hook for some research, and my time's not cheap."
"We can skip that. I know exactly who he is," Owen says. "His name is Charlie Rowland."
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Unfulfilled Desires by Nameless_Hanna
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV), The Sandman (TV 2022)
03 Jun 2024
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Charles desires something hard enough to bring him to the Threshold of Desire time and time again, but the personification themself refuses to tell him what it is so he can fulfill it and stop coming here.
Desire is having so much fun with him, why would they want this to stop?
Or: Charles' yearning for Edwin gets so ridiculously loud that Desire needs to personally take care of it, but he's too dumb to realize it's been Edwin all along
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I would walk through Hell on living feet for you by imnotcryingipromise
Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
28 Sep 2025
- Words:
- 53,384
- Works:
- 7
- Bookmarks:
- 56
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You Look Like My Sweetest Dream (Wake Up I Beg You Please) by UneducatedAuthor
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
03 Aug 2025
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Charles lived a pretty normal life, and he could never understand why that almost felt like a surprise to him.
He had breakfast, studied hard, hung out with his mates, and all of it was so precious, because he knows how much you have to appreciate Living.
It's just... It feels like there's dreams, at the corner of his eyes. Feels like the two girls, Niko and Crystal he met by accident know more about him then they should. Feels like someone is supposed to be at his side and isn't.
It feels like he's missing something.
(Charles is cursed to live as a human, with no memories of his afterlife and unable to interact with the paranormal world. The Dead Boy Detective Agency need him back.)
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Bookmark Notes:
oh i'm going to absolutely fucking weep, actually
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The case of the Sleeping Beauty by imnotcryingipromise
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
30 Oct 2024
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"I was angry with you... for kissing him then," Edwin admits, voice suddenly small.
Crystal is unsure she's ever been allowed to independently witness such vulnerability from her friend.
"But I am begging you to do it now," he pleads.
***
In which a gift from an allegedly satisfied client is not what it seems and one of the detectives falls under a mysterious spell.
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The case of the Sleeping Beauty by imnotcruingipromise
Charles gets cursed and literally becomes sleeping beauty and Edwin is all anxious and heartbroken and angsty and ashamed and literally anything except happy about having to kiss Charles which is SO FUNNY, this poor kid is really overthinking this 😭
It was really fun reading Edwin freaking out, especially when Crystal kissed Charles because she definitely wanted to be super snarky but could see how upset Edwin was and decided to be nice about it ❤️
And then Charles is just like “woah guess I love Edwin let’s go‼️”
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the heart you hold, has always been mine by imnotcryingipromise
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
29 May 2024
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"How did you hurt him?" she questions, the mortifying puzzle clicking together behind her eyes.
"Crystal, I..."
"Just tell me!" she demands, wetly.
"He told me he loved me. Alright?" Charles explodes, a fresh wave of tears dousing his cheeks.
"When we were in Hell, he told me that he was in love with me, and I didn't say it back."
***
Edwin returns to the London office determined to bury himself in work. Charles’ jealousy regarding a handsome, new client leads to a startling realisation.
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i'm real in your arms, that's enough for now by quietdetective for muirgen_lys
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
03 Oct 2025
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Charles Rowland was quite proud of himself.
Edwin had been doing a lot better, and the school and his parents were none the wiser about Charles' cat.
Of course, that was until Charles let his guard down.
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It’s just turned November in 1999, meaning that Charles has been dead (and thus with Edwin) for almost a full decade. If he had lived, he’d be 26 now. He is 26, sort of. He’s sure that he’s more mature now than he was when he died, but that might just be the natural result of a decade spent with Edwin standing next to him, raising a single eyebrow imperiously as if to say ‘really, Charles?’ every time he acts before thinking (so, almost all the time).
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10 years after Charles dies, he realizes that he's in love with his best friend. He handles this about as well as anyone could expect.
Series
- Part 1 of 1999 au
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 14,083
- Chapters:
- 2/2
- Comments:
- 114
- Kudos:
- 1,233
- Bookmarks:
- 218
- Hits:
- 11,653
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what should have been the worst day of my life, you kept me safe, and warm by quietdetective for muirgen_lys
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
02 Oct 2025
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Charles Rowland was found after nearly dying in an old, cold, attic. He should've succumb to hypothermia hours ago.
It's only when he wakes, and shares that a cat had helped keep him warm through the night, do things start to make more sense.
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you stayed with me, even as everything froze by quietdetective for muirgen_lys
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
30 Sep 2025
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Charles Rowland had found himself slowly freezing to death in an old attic.
He would've died alone, if a little friend hadn't come to keep him company.
Series
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Summary
10 years after Charles dies, he realizes that he's in love with his best friend. He handles this about as well as anyone could expect.
- Words:
- 104,905
- Works:
- 3
- Bookmarks:
- 161
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Lay me gently in the cold, dark earth (I'll crawl home to him) by imnotcryingipromise
Fandoms: Dead Boy Detectives (TV)
26 Jul 2024
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"Leave me, Edwin, please. I don't want you to see me like this!" Charles begs, burying his face in his hands. He lets out a heart-wrenching sob.
"I won't leave you," Edwin oaths, moving forward determinedly, to take the smaller boy into his arms.
***
In which a newly deceased Charles Rowland is determined to attend his own funeral, despite Edwin’s warnings, and is confronted by the cruel reality of his death and the conspiracy to cover it up.
Also: a follow up to ‘Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I.’ Charles and Edwin kissed on the very first day they met and have been inseparable in the short time since. The younger ghost seeks his companion’s support in attending his funeral.
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