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“Are you sure this is a good idea?"
It's the third time Niko has asked. It is the third time Edwin has stopped himself from putting the whole thing to rest.
This has to happen. He needs to get past these ill-fated feelings and if that includes making Charles happy? Well, then there really is no choice in the matter. Charles always deserves to be happy; it is a fact of the universe.
"The cases have become overbearing, Niko. Crystal and Charles deserve this." Edwin lays the blanket out, with Niko dropping petals across it. He stands up, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves. "I- the cases have been taking up so much of their time and Charles keeps making little quips about not getting time to spend outside of casework. This is a simple enough solution – he enjoys St. James."
Niko purses her lips, eyes trailing down to where he's folded and unfolded his sleeves. She reaches out a hand and Edwin lets her grab a hold. He cannot feel her palm under his but he smiles nonetheless.
"He likes this park because of you." When Edwin goes to protest (because yes, they might come here on an occasional case-free night with a stack of books or board games to pass the time, but he knows Charles would enjoy it with anybody, not just him) she shakes her head. "I think you're looking at it all wrong."
But before he can say anything else, he sees them over Niko's shoulder: Charles and Crystal standing over a patch of unoccupied grass, barely visible under the dim moonlight, but clearly setting up their own picnic blanket.
What in the devil?
They're a bit of a distance away – closer to the water – Edwin and Niko well out of their line of sight, shrouded by the trees, but Edwin's stomach lurches all the same.
"They are not meant to be here, not yet. We are nowhere near done," he hisses as Niko turns around, shoulders hitching up in surprise, a faint squeezing sensation surrounding Edwin's gloved hand.
"Oh! Guess we don't have to get them here then.” She peers closer. “Wait, are they setting up their own... oh."
Edwin resists the urge to sink down onto the blanket. Of course, they would utilise the time off on their own. What had he been thinking? Planning a perfect date yet he couldn't even keep them occupied separately.
He can see Charles handing Crystal a book, one she gingerly places down on the blanket next to what seems to be a lantern. Charles proceeds to pull out a box from the backpack, and Edwin can recognise the colours of Clue anywhere. Something ugly twists around his heart like choking vines. It should not be surprising seeing Charles bring the things they bring to St. James except this time with Crystal, especially after Edwin had suggested the park to Niko because he knows Charles' preferences but it still hurts.
"Edwin," Niko tries, sensing the change in demeanour, but he shakes his head. He knows it's not pity from Niko, it could never be, but they cannot do this here.
"We must leave then. It would be rude to be seen here, we must not interrupt their night."
Niko seems ready to argue if not for the soft sound of music suddenly mixing in with the rest of London's traffic outside the park. Edwin lets go of her hand and Niko quickly reaches for her pocket, pulling out her phone. She swipes at the screen and brings it up to her ear, and both of them cast a panicked look over to where the others are. The park is closed, the clock having struck midnight enough ticks ago, which means they're mostly alone but while Edwin and Charles can get in here easily enough as ghosts, security cannot be alerted to Niko and Crystal.
"Crystal, hi," Niko whispers and sure enough, Crystal seems to be speaking across the grass. Edwin gestures at Niko's phone and she shrugs. He can hear Crystal saying something, too quiet to make out. Niko nods after a tick before seemingly remembering Crystal can't see her. "Yes, we're, uh- makeover. I'm giving him a makeover."
Edwin frowns. He mouths makeover? but Niko isn't looking at him.
"Right now? But aren't you with Charles- oh. No, yes, no, we haven't even started, I can get him there. No- no, we'll figure it out, don't worry. Two minutes! Bye, love you!"
All Edwin hears before Niko hangs up is Crystal repeating back two minutes with an air of exasperation. Edwin has a sneaking suspicion that the him in get him there may be himself.
Across the grass, he can see Crystal stare down at her phone and back up at Charles with a shrug. He turns back to Niko who is smiling wide.
"Niko," he starts, hesitation colouring his voice. "What was that?"
She attempts to smother her grin, and when that doesn't work, she pulls at Edwin's elbow with a twinkle in her eye.
"Come on, you'll see!"
Before he can protest, he's being dragged away from the blanket, out of the shroud of trees, and towards Charles and Crystal.
There is a moment where he panics, that twisting vine snaking around his entire being, because what could possibly be going on, but he has no time to dwell on it when the others finally see them, Charles noticing them first, and even from here Edwin can see the clear nervousness written across his face.
(There is delight there too, unmistakable, but Edwin cannot for the death of him understand why. They are interrupting something. This was meant to be a night for Charles to get some time with Crystal outside of casework as he had been complaining about but here Edwin was, intruding, imposing on their night. It fills him with dread, swirling nausea – and ghosts weren't meant to get sick but the universe did not seem to care in the slightest – rising up his throat.)
"We're here!" Niko practically squeals, and Edwin can see the lantern, the book on fauna, and Clue laid out perfectly. It is a collection he would find Charles and him with, not Charles and Crystal, but clearly, he needs to start reevaluating his opinions.
"That was quicker than two minutes," Crystal says, eyebrows raised.
"We were... in the area," Niko settles on and Edwin is endlessly thankful. No need to mention the failed date set-up then.
"Yes, well, we shall take our leave. I am sure you two would like to be left alone-" And Edwin is turning around, unable to look at Niko or Crystal or Charles who-
"Woah, woah, mate, calm down!"
Charles, who has his hand wrapped around his arm, preventing him from taking off.
Edwin stills. He hears Crystal mutter something to Niko and then nothing else. He clears his throat. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah, Edwin" – a soft tug at his arm and Edwin is turning around before Charles even finishes speaking – "you."
"What?" he says, strangled, stunned at the admission, half his brain focusing on Niko and Crystal trekking away and the other half yelling that the words did not mean what he thought it meant, and he needed to stop jumping to conclusions right this instance.
And Charles looks sheepish, that nervousness still present, but there is also something else. Something Edwin cannot name. "'S meant to be a surprise, mate. I, uh- right. Bloody hell, I had a whole thing planned and I've gone and forgotten the lot of it."
"What?" Edwin repeats, a bit like a broken record player. "Where's Crystal?"
Charles' brow furrows and Edwin stops himself from reaching and smoothening it out. "Crystal? Niko and her will find their way out. She was just helping set up. You know, 'cause I was having a proper panic about all of this-"
"I thought you wished to spend time with her, alone," Edwin interrupts, still struggling to understand what in hell was unfolding in front of him. It was easier to focus on what he knew, the facts. "On a date. It is why Niko and I arrived swiftly; I meant to give you and Crystal a- a night to yourselves. I employed Niko's help with the set-up."
It is Charles' turn to say, "What?"
And now that Edwin has started, he cannot quite seem to stop. "I am not daft, Charles. I knew you disliked the piling caseload because it did not give you and Crystal enough time to go out. And I wished you to be happy."
What Edwin wants to add is, I wish you to be happy, no matter who it is with because you are the most important person in the world to me. I am trying to move past these feelings, to not burden you with them, to let you have your time with Crystal even if it feels as if my very being is tearing itself apart seeing you here, with our things but not with me.
He does not get to say any of it because Charles looks immeasurably upset and Edwin cannot have that. Charles is not meant to be upset. Edwin will do anything in his power to stop Charles from being upset – thus the date. Which was apparently not the right idea after all.
“I apologise, I should not have presumed-”
"I disliked it because I didn't get to spend time with you,” Charles says like it is a fact of the universe, leaving no room for discussion.
"But we are always together, Charles."
Charles stares at him, soft and fond and that is the only warning Edwin gets before he is pulled forward into an embrace, Charles' arms coming up to gently lay across his back, his own head resting on Charles' shoulder.
"Not like this," Charles says, and it is quiet, so quiet, that if Charles had not spoken directly into his ear, Edwin would not have heard it.
As it is, he does.
So he settles into the hug, letting himself be pulled even closer, bunching Charles' jacket into his hands.
They stay like that, for a tick, or several, before Edwin reluctantly pries them apart and Charles only goes far enough away that they're still entangled but able to see each other.
Charles breaks the silence first. "This is our date. Not Crystal and I. You and I."
If Edwin could breathe, he was certain he would have stopped at those very words. He certainly cannot fault any of the heroines in the plethora of fictional romances Niko has made him read because he understands them embarrassingly all too well.
"Didn’t know what to do, did I? You deserve the best after all.” Charles pauses and looks back at the picnic blanket. “Bit silly, now that I think about it. S’what we do in the office, anyway. Crystal tried to tell me as much. Couldn’t help myself though, yeah?”
Edwin is slowly putting the pieces together, but it is a slow process with his mind still split in half. The facts are breaking apart in front of his very eyes.
“Because I love you, Edwin," Charles continues and that snaps Edwin out of it because Edwin cannot deny that, as it is always clear. Charles has always strived to make it clear that he loves Edwin, no matter how Edwin feels about him.
That will never change.
(Another fact of the universe).
He almost says as much, but Charles is grinning, shaking his head to prevent Edwin from interrupting as if he could read Edwin's very mind. Edwin thinks he very much can.
"I'm in love with you."
Oh, Edwin thinks.
“Oh,” Edwin says.
Charles laughs, low and pleased, and it is a delight to hear. “Do you understand now?”
Of course, he does. Edwin is a detective, for goodness sake. The pieces fall into place, the complaints, the stolen hours, the nervousness, and the unnamable look Charles wore earlier.
Love. In love.
He had it all wrong. It’s almost laughable to see it laid out like this. But he doesn’t laugh because Charles is staring at him, waiting, patient and almost a bit… afraid? As if he has anything to be afraid about. As if Edwin could ever not love him back.
“I love you too,” Edwin says because he needs to. Because Charles needs to hear it again. And Charles smiles, impossibly wide, impossibly bright under the moonlight. Charles cups his cheek, watching his face, and Edwin stares right back. Then down. Charles follows the movement.
He’s not sure who moves first but it is not a short distance to cross as their lips meet, clumsy at first but wonderfully pleasant at last.
The vines around his heart loosen up, shrivelling away under Charles’ attention, Charles’ love.
(The final fact of the universe: Charles Rowland loves Edwin Payne and Edwin Payne loves Charles Rowland.)