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“Edwin,” Charles calls from across the office, “I think there’s something wrong with my eyes.”
The boys, Crystal, and Niko are back from a case, and Edwin organizes the bookshelf while Crystal and Niko sort the mail. Charles had been tasked with reorganizing his backpack and closing out the case file, but he’d gotten a bit…distracted, watching Edwin stretch to reach the uppermost shelves. He’s shed most of his layers, his sleeves are rolled up, and his brows are furrowed in concentration as he studies the spaces between the books. He looks proper handsome like that, Charles thinks, gently chiding himself for not realizing his feelings sooner.
As soon as Charles speaks, though, Edwin’s focus snaps to him. “Your eyes?” He puts down the book and quickly walks over to him. “Are you alright? Do they hurt?”
Charles laughs, because the response is just so Edwin, and he says, “Yeah, mate, I’m fine. Just can’t keep them off of you, is all.”
Edwin falls quiet, and Crystal gags. “Oh my god,” she groans. “That was your worst one yet.” She puts the important mail on the desk and gives Charles an unimpressed look, but Charles had fully expected her reaction. In the corner he catches Niko giggling from behind the junk mail, and yeah, he’d expected that reaction, too.
What he hadn’t expected was Edwin’s.
Charles had expected him to roll his eyes like Crystal had, or maybe scold him for feigning a medical issue. But neither of those things happen. Instead, Charles watches as Edwin’s eyes widen slightly, cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink. He hadn’t even known ghosts were capable of blushing. He looks away as his face unfurls into a small, shy smile, and Charles’s metaphorical heart stutters. He wants to remember that look for the rest of his afterlife. He wants to make Edwin look like that again and again and again.
Crystal stares in disbelief. “There is no way that worked,” she whispers. “Edwin, there is no way that worked on you! That line was awful!”
Edwin glances back at Charles, cheeks still slightly flushed. Quietly, shyly, he says, “I thought it was rather charming.”
Oh, Charles is so far gone. He smiles, taking Edwin’s hand. “Yeah?”
Edwin nods. Charles’s smile grows wider.
Crystal, who has made her way back to Niko, shakes her head. “Dude, you need to up your standards.”
“Shhh,” Niko says. “No he doesn’t. That was amazing.”
“Yeah, Crystal,” Charles says, grin changing from smitten to shit-eating. “My lines are aces.”
Crystal rolls her eyes fondly. “Sure they are, lover boy.”
Charles looks at Edwin again. “Did the sun come back out, or are you just smiling at me?”
Edwin flushes again. Looks away again. Smiles that lovely little smile again. Niko squeals. Crystal sighs. “This is just going to be a thing now, isn’t it?”
It is. Because they get Edwin to smile, and Charles will use a million more cheesy lines if it means he gets to see that smile again.