Chapter Text
"Hello, Thomas, Monty." Edwin's soft voice greeted as he emerged from the mirror that's placed behind The Cat King's throne at the port.
"Edwin!" Monty cheered and went to hug Edwin, but he just passed by him and almost face planted on the floor.
"Silly Monty." Thomas said, shaking his head from his throne, his upper body twisted on the seat to watch the arrival of his lover and his other enthusiastic lover. "You need to let Edwin re-animate himself first for a few seconds after he does those mirror travels." He added, standing up from his throne and hopped to approach the two.
"Ah, right." Monty said with a grin, standing up properly and waited for Edwin to give them the go signal.
Edwin opened up his arms and that's enough for Monty to launch himself onto them, hugging Edwin's ghostly torso. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Monty." Edwin cooed, wrapping his arms around the shorter lad and smoothing his hair with his gloved ghostly hand.
"What about me?" Thomas asked playfully and added a pout for full effect.
Edwin rolled his eyes and leaned close enough to peck The Cat King on his cheek. "I missed you too."
"That's much better." Thomas purred in joy.
"How are you two?" Edwin asked after Monty pulled away from the hug. "Have you been behaving?"
Monty nodded. "Of course I do!"
"Yes, let's forget about that one time one of my cats getting hit by an old shoe and falling onto the port." Thomas said, making Monty pout and Edwin to raise an eyebrow.
"He started it! That's also an accident because I was aiming for the buoy not him." Monty said.
"Alright, I hope you apologized to him at least even if that's just an accident?" Edwin asked and Monty nodded. "Good." He said, patting Monty's head, making the younger boy lean onto the taller lad.
It's always nice to receive head pats from Edwin. It just means that he's proud of you and Monty will always accept that whenever given the chance.
"Is Charles coming along?" Monty asked, somehow wanting the other ghost lad to join them.
"He has gone to do some personal stuff. I invited him but he said that he'll go with some other time." Charles replied, not saying that Charles will be visiting his godfather at The New Inn.
"Aww, okay." The shorter lad said. "Is he okay?"
Edwin smiled at Monty's now concerned inquiry. "Yes, he's okay. He just wants to do something today by himself."
"Are you two coming or what?" Thomas, in his feline form, called from the entrance of the warehouse.
"Will you let me change something else for a second?" Edwin asked.
"It's breezy out here." Thomas said, feeling the cool wind on his fur as he sat by the port that overlooks the calm sea.
"Be careful there, Thomas." Edwin said, not looking up from the book he's reading, Monty on his shoulders on his crow form.
"I caught a really big fish over there one time." Monty said. "I think it was last Wednesday."
"You only caught that because it slipped out of my mouth and I fell onto the water." Thomas said, flicking his tail.
"I still caught it mid air." Monty said, and you could hear the grin on his tone.
"Oi, cheeky." Edwin said to the bird on his shoulders, but he's grinning too, imagining the scene of how Thomas slipped and slid onto the water as Monty tried to catch him but instead caught the fish.
"It isn't my fault he's clumsy." Monty said, shaking his feathers.
Edwin smoothed Monty's feathers with his hand, making the latter melt under his touch. "Now, now," he tutted. "No more chidings. Thomas, come over here and sit with us." He added, patting the space beside him.
"I like it here." The feline said, flicking his tail again.
"You're getting closer to the edge."
"Oh, shut up. I've been doing this plenty of times. I won't fall here no— WAH!" Thomas said, getting cut off and followed by a loud splash, a sigh from Edwin, and then a loud cackle from Monty.
Edwin didn't make a move to peek on the water but he did cross his arms and waited for Thomas to emerge back up.
Monty managed to stop his laughter and then turned into his human form. He skipped to where Thomas fell and peeked on the water. He could see little bubbles but no sign of Thomas, making him concerned a bit. Thomas knows how to swim, right? Even in cat form? Where is he?
"King?" Monty called, leaning down further, using the edge of wooden floorboards of the port to support himself.
"Monty, be careful." Edwin called, still not moving from the bench he's sitting on but is intently watching his boys.
"I cannot see Thom— AH!" Monty said, but was pulled down the water by a pair of hands, making him yelp and fall onto the water.
"Gotcha!" Thomas laughed as he held Monty on the water with him. "That's payback for that fish."
"Thomas!" Edwin scolded, but seeing a dumbfounded and bamboozled Monty on the water clinging onto The Cat King has got a smile playing on his lips. "Monty, are you okay?"
The boy could only nod and cough water, still wide eyed and trying to process what just happened.
"Why does he get a 'how are you' and I don't?" Thomas asked, hoisting Monty on the edge of the platform.
"I know you're fine because I know you can swim." Edwin said making Thomas pout. "Come on, Monty. Up you get." He added, finally standing up from his spot and helping Monty up.
"The water's too cold." Monty shivered, sitting on the edge of the platform and then proceeds to wring his wet clothes. "And too salty." He added with a cough.
Thomas hopped back up on the platform too in his cat form, and then dries himself by shaking his fur dry, drenching Monty's clothes again. "That was refreshing."
"Great, because you're due a proper bath too." Monty said, wringing his scarf dry.
"What! I smell perfectly fine!" Thomas said indignantly. "I have you know that Edwin's perfume lasts so long."
"I didn't give you perfume?" Edwin said, towering the two and just stood there just watching them again.
"That's from Charles." Monty said, making the two just look at him. "We went to Tragic Mick's last month. He said the smell reminded him of you."
"Oh. Aww." Thomas was genuinely deeply touched by that.
They didn't really had a great start because Charles was very cautious about The Cat King about Edwin's binding spell and thought that he had hurt Edwin. Thankfully, they're able to mend things a bit, but they're still awkward around each other. Charles however took a quick liking to Monty because, well, Monty is charming and that really blends well with Charles' positive attitude. Monty knows how Charles also fancy Thomas in a way, but is too embarrassed to admit it yet so he keeps it to himself. The perfume was a good progress.
"Well, that is probably the lovely smell I noticed earlier when I arrived?" Edwin asked, looking at Thomas.
The cat then turned back into human again, now sitting on the edge of the platform beside Monty. "I really do love it."
"I'll let Charles know." Monty said with a grin, removing his coat.
"You two are wonderful." Edwin said, patting both of his boy's damp hairs.
Thomas purred and Monty melts to the touch. It was quite a nice day at the port.
"Let's go somewhere. You're not going anywhere, Edwin, without bringing this home to Charles."
"Charles." Edwin greeted as he reanimated himself back to the office using the mirror.
Charles looked up from his spot on the window and put down the astrology book that's lying on his chest. "You're out late." He said, not a question but he's got that curious look on his face.
"I did tell you that I was going to Port Townsend, didn't I?" Edwin said, and then took a little seashell from his coat. "How's your day with the professor?"
"He's got his husband over." Charles said.
"Professor Gadling has a husband?"
"Apparently yeah. That's super brills, right? I asked about the wedding and he just hushed me like it's not a big deal. I just shrugged it off. But the guy looked familiar and I just cannot pinpoint where I saw him before."
"Huh." Edwin doesn't really know what to say, but he's definitely glad that Charles didn't go and do something reckless (again) along the way. He reached for his inner coat. "That's great that you had a nice trip. Here, The Cat King sends you a little present."
Edwin almost missed the little pink tint on Charles' cheeks. "Why would he do that?" He asked, taking the small clam that's actually a little pin.
It's just as tiny as his jacket pins, and he can see that there's a letter C engraved on it and then it was hooked so that he could wear it on his jacket. On the back it has a smudge of paint where a tiny paw print is dried on. The whole shell is covered in resin to preserve and keep it clean.
Charles shyly looked up at Edwin who's giving him a warm smile. "We had a little bit of crafting."
Charles grinned and hopped to the coat rack at the corner where his jacket is on, and immediately pinned his present with the other pins that's visible for everyone to see. "Was the 'C' my name or is it 'cat'?" He joked.
Edwin shook his head at his mate's playfulness and patted him hair (out of habit as he's been doing it a lot). "That's obviously your name, Charles."
Charles didn't shy away from the hand and secretly in it as it's a great progress too for Edwin to give out physical affection. "Well, the paw print on the back could've fooled me." He said as Edwin rolled his eyes.
"He thanks you for the perfume you gave him." Edwin said.
Now the pink tint turned redder as Charles plopped onto Edwin's office chair. "Well...I just think it fits him." He said, looking up at his mate shyly.
Edwin removed his coat and sat on the desk. The arrangement felt a bit odd, but this time it's just them and they're okay with this kind of silent intimacy. It's much better than them just bonding over cases. The Night Nurse isn't there with them, but at her office so they really have the place to themselves at that time.
The both of them are facing the window and is watching the night sky twinkle with stars. It's beautiful and calming. Edwin subconsciously reached down and combs Charles curls. The latter melts to the sensation. Their ghostly bodies doesn't necessarily feel as similar as human touch, but their comfortable presence with each other makes it enough.
"Monty asks for you next time." Edwin said.
Charles hummed in acknowledgement. "I may have taken a little hobby of crocheting while you're out." He said.
The next time Edwin visited Port Townsend a week later, Thomas is now rocking a pink hat with cat ears while Monty has a new scarf.