Chapter Text
It had been a while since Edwin and Charles had a day off. It felt like one moment they were swarmed with clients and the next the corridor was empty. Edwin had opted to reread one of his favourite books. He had sat in his usual chair behind the desk. Charles was lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, bored. He hated not having a busy day. Leaning towards the floor, Charles grabbed a cricket ball and threw it against the wall. He continued this motion several times before Edwin peered from over his book.
“Charles, do you mind?”
Charles clutched the ball before turning to Edwin.
“I’m bored,”
“We have plenty of books here,” Edwin said, “You would do well in brushing up on some of your research,”
“I don’t want to read, Edwin,” Charles sighed, “I want to do something thrilling. I want a new case, mate,”
“Well, there has got to be something else you could do that doesn’t entail you throwing a ball against a wall,” Edwin continued, “Have you checked your bottomless bag?”
Charles threw his head back against the sofa, “No mate, but I already know that there isn’t going to be anything,”
“Go and bug Crystal,”
“She’s out,”
“Then, I don’t know, Charles,” Edwin said in a slightly sharp tone.
Charles sighed and rolled over to face the back of the sofa. He shut his eyes. As a ghost, he didn’t need sleep, but he enjoyed creating random scenarios in the darkness of his mind. It was one way to pass the time. Charles allowed his brain to wander. The only noise for a few moments was Edwin flipping his pages and the occasional car outside.
“Wait, Charles!” Edwin said, grabbing his arm. Charles turned to face Edwin. An expression that Charles had never seen before lingered on his face.
Of course, his brain was making him relive those moments on Hell’s stairs. They hadn’t escaped his mind since it happened.
“Charles, I…” He breathed, “I’m not mad. I… I’m..”
Charles continued to gaze at Edwin, surprised at Edwin’s hesitation. He never stuttered, Edwin always spoke with precision. Charles was slightly impatient, desperately wanting to leave Hell, aware that at any second The Misery Wraith may appear and kill both of them. Charles remained silent, maintaining eye contact with Edwin, allowing him the time to get his words out.
“I’ve been hiding some things from you,” He paused. Edwin’s gaze lowered for a few moments as if he was unsure how he should proceed. He returned eye contact, “And since I might not get the chance to say them again-”
“You can say whatever it is you want to say to me, if we keep moving, please,” Charles interrupted. He spoke quickly with a smile on his face, reflecting his support for his friend but also his urgency for safety. Charles turned to continue up the stairs.
“I love you,” Edwin said without hesitation. The words landed in the typical Edwin coherence yet they were laced with emotion that Charles hadn’t experienced from him before. Charles was too desperate to leave to dwell on the change of expression.
There was silence for a moment.
“Great. I love you too. Can we go?”
“As more than a friend, I’m afraid,” Edwin said, his eyes filling with tears. There was hurt as he spoke as if it was the first time he had said it out loud. This was the first time that Edwin had accepted his feelings, ignoring the voice in his head that would scream how wrong it was.
Charles's eyes softened at his friend’s words as the realisation hit him.
There was silence again as both contended with emotions and thoughts reeling inside of them. Charles stood still, processing this confession whilst Edwin shook slightly, fighting the tears that ever-so-desperately wanted to escape.
“Charles, I’m in love with you,” Edwin’s voice broke as he spoke, saliva building up in the back of his throat.
There was silence again as Edwin awaited a response but Charles remained silent. He looked away for a moment, battling his thoughts and feelings. Did he feel the same way back? He didn’t know. He needed time to process the situation.
“You don’t have to feel the same way,” Edwin continued, filling Charles’s silence. Like his feelings, Edwin was unable to fight his emotions, a tear rolling down his face, “I just need you to know,”
There was silence as Edwin gazed at Charles. Charles looked away, still competing with his inner turmoil. He still didn’t know how he felt. At the same time, he didn’t want to lose Edwin. Charles nodded slightly as he began overthinking. As he thought more about it, he realised that Edwin’s confession answered a lot of questions and differences he had seen in him. Charles was still unsure how to respond but he knew he needed to and fast. He needed to remain his playful, optimistic self. He couldn’t express his inner battle to Edwin right now. Not in his state. His best mate needed him.
Charles chuckled to himself. “Oh, I get it,” He smiled, “This is like one of those Orpheus and Eurydice moments, yeah?”
Edwin’s expression didn’t change. “I certainly hope not. That story ends tragically,”
“Right. Never finished it,” Charles said, smiling, fidgeting with his bag. He never responded well in these types of situations.
“Charles, I’m being quite serious, in the event that wasn’t obvious,” Edwin said, desperately wanting a serious response from him.
Charles instantly dropped his playful persona, the mention of “serious” and the desperation in Edwin’s voice snapping him back into the reality of the situation.
Charles walked towards Edwin before he placed his hands on his shoulder, “I want you to listen to me. You, Edwin Paine, are my best mate. That will never change. You are the most important person in the world to me. And I can’t really say that, like…” Charles broke eye contact for a moment, exhaling, fighting his conflicting emotions, “...That I’m in love with you back,”
Edwin looked away, disheartened by Charles’s response.
“But there’s no one else, no one else, that I would go to hell for. And we’ve got…and we’ve got literally forever to figure out what the rest means,”
Both Edwin and Charles smiled.
“As long as we get out of here, okay?” Charles said.
Edwin nodded.