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It was Crystal who brought it up.
“Hey, tell me to shut the fuck up if this is insensitive, but do you guys have graves?”
She was met with silence.
Edwin felt his body stiffen as he looked up towards the sofa where Charles lay. His body language was still relaxed but his expression was less so. Charles looked up to meet Edwin’s gaze, before clearing his throat and fiddling with some trinkets that he had pulled from his bag of tricks.
“I do have a grave,” Charles started slowly. “I haven’t seen it since my funeral and I doubt anyone checks on it anymore.” He flashed the psychic a slightly strained smile. “Doesn’t matter now though, does it? I’ve got you, my best mate, and cases to solve.”
“I guess,” Crystal frowned. “How do you know that nobody checks on it?”
“My old man wouldn’t,” Charles rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t want him to anyway. I doubt my mum would either. It might upset her or maybe my dad just won’t let her. Plus, I don’t have any other relatives in England so-” he shrugged, eyes fixed on his hands. “That’s just my assumption.”
“That’s really fucking sad,” Crystal sat on the arm of the sofa and patted his ankle before, oh god, turning to Edwin. “What about you?”
“I do not,” he replied curtly. “They never found my body and nobody wanted to honour a death that was ‘an act of God’.”
“Fuck,” Crystal said bluntly, her eyes flashing with concern. “Why did they never find your body?”
“I-” Edwin really didn’t want to go into the details. “-I suppose the murderers hid it well.”
“Hold on, wait a tick,” Charles sat up. “You told me that your body had disappeared when you were, you know, taken. How could they have hid a body that wasn’t there?”
Fuck fuck fuck, this was not how it was supposed to go. Edwin clenched his fists underneath the desk and kept his eyes fixated on the case file in front of him. It had completely slipped his mind that he had told Charles something different than the truth; that he body had disappeared to Hell along with his soul.
“-win? Edwin, mate?”
Edwin snapped back and looked up to see Charles leaning against the front of the desk, worry painted across his expression. “Hey, you back with us?”
A small nod. Charles sighed with relief before speaking again. “Listen, you don’t have to tell us what happened if you aren’t comfortable. I know it must be hard to remember.”
“Yeah, I, uh,” Crystal rubbed the back of her neck, slightly ashamed. “I didn’t mean to offend you, really.”
“You did not offend me,” Edwin replied, his voice a lot more steady than he felt. “It is just that- I am ashamed I have not told you the truth, I suppose.”
Charles looked slightly confused but shook his head, putting a hand on Edwin’s shoulder. “It’s okay if you’re not ready to tell the truth, okay?”
Edwin, contrary to popular belief, did want to tell them, it was just that he wasn’t sure how they were going to react. He liked being certain of things and he hated lying to his friends, especially Charles. Maybe he should just ‘rip off the band-aid’ as Crystal says and get it over with quickly.
“Yeah, we’re not gonna, like, force it out of you or something-”
“It is in the attic.”
Charles blinked slowly, leaning heavily against the desk. “ What?”
Oh dear, maybe that was a little too blunt. But there was no going back.
“My body,” Edwin forced his words out, discomfort tainting each syllable, “is in the attic. In a trunk. The boys who killed me hid it there.”
Charles and Crystal stared at him in silence. Crystal’s hand came up to cover her mouth in shock and sat back against the arm of the sofa. Charles had paled significantly, his lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed in a way Edwin wanted to smooth out.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Charles muttered.
“Don’t be silly, Charles,” Edwin said weakly, trying to get things back to normal. “Ghosts cannot get sick.”
“No, Edwin!” Charles suddenly started pacing. “You’re telling me that your body has been shoved in a trunk at St Hilarion’s for over a century? I was- oh my god.” Charles stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair. “I died there. I was sitting, dying in the same room that you were? Your literal remains were just sat across from me-?!”
“Charles!”
The younger ghost stopped, looking at Edwin with unshed tears in his eyes. Edwin was shaking slightly, his arms wrapped around himself and his usual ramrod posture was hunched.
“Please stop, please.”
Charles blinked, tears falling down his face before making his way over to where Edwin sat, holding out his hand with a heartbroken expression. Cautiously, Edwin took it and Charles heaved him upright before pulling him into a strong hug. For a second, Edwin didn’t move, still overwhelmed with the conversation that just took place. Charles ran a hand up and down his back gently before whispering, “I am so so sorry, Eds.”
Then he melted. His legs wobbled and he wrapped his arms around Charles’ waist tightly, not daring to let go. He rested his head on his partners’ shoulder and sobbed into his neck. The older ghost couldn’t remember the last time he had cried like this - maybe when they thought Niko died, and even then they didn’t have the time to mourn.
Now, though, Edwin mourned everything that he had lost. The funeral and closure he never had, never thought he deserved. The loving, caring parents that he was deprived of, how they forced him to act in a way that would make them happy. His sister, oh his wonderful sister, who was taken away from them far too soon.
Edwin Payne couldn’t be Edwin Payne without living up to the nature of his name.
Crystal’s arms wrapped themselves around his back, caging him in a cocoon of warmth and love which brought him out of his spiral. Without realising, his two friends had made their way to the sofa with Edwin squished in between them.
“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Crystal spoke, her voice a near whisper. “I didn’t realise how bad it was.”
“It’s okay,” Edwin replied, his voice slightly rough from crying. “You did not know. I apologise for making a scene.”
“Hey,” Charles’ voice came from slightly above him from where his head still rested against his chest. “Don’t you dare apologise for that. It’s super messed up and I just wish I knew.”
Edwin didn’t reply, he couldn’t. Not when so many emotions were blocking his throat.
They were quiet for a moment before Crystal sat up, moving from behind Edwin to crouch down in front of him instead. She spoke softly, “the reason I asked was because there was something I wanted to do if you didn’t have one. A grave, I mean.”
Edwin blinked. “What do you mean?”
Crystal smiled and tilted her head towards Charles. “Niko and I will be out for a bit, okay? Look after him.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Charles winked, tightening his hold on Edwin’s waist.
“I am right here, you know,” Edwin said with a raised eyebrow. “Crystal Palace, dare I ask what you are planning.”
“You can ask, but I won’t tell you,” the psychic said with a small laugh before standing up and grabbing her coat. “I’ll be back tomorrow with Niko so don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Yes, mum,” Charles responded and Edwin felt a smile tug at his lips.
He heard Crystal mutter something about immature teenage boys before closing the door behind her. Silence enveloped the room as the two boys still lay huddled on the sofa, Charles running a hand softly through Edwin’s hair.
“I know it's stupid,” Charles murmured. “But I wish I could’ve been there, you know? To protect you. Even though it happened, like, 70 years before I was even born.”
Edwin cracked a smile and hummed. “I appreciate that, Charles. Thank you.” He paused for a moment, before continuing. “I would do it all again, you know.”
Charles stiffened, his arms subconsciously tightening around Edwin’s waist. “What do you mean?”
“Even if I knew what was going to happen that night, I would still not change anything,” Edwin breathed, not knowing where the sudden surge of confidence came from. “Otherwise, I never would have met you. I do not like the sound of that outcome.”
“You- you can’t be serious, Edwin,” Charles spluttered.
“I am,” the older ghost cut him off before tilting his head up to meet Charles’ eyes. “Being sacrificed, having my body shoved in a trunk, 73 years of Hell. It was all worth it to be with you.”
Tears sprung to Charles’ eyes and Edwin quickly panicked. He should’ve known not to say too much; he knew his feelings were unrequited. “I am sorry, Charles, I know it is unusual for me to say these things and I have no doubt that I have unsettled you or-”
The older ghost was cut off by a small sob and lips on his own. Edwin barely had time to blink before the warm pressure was gone and his face was cradled between Charles’ gentle hands. Tears ran down the boy's face but a genuine smile graced his lips. Lips that were just on his mere seconds ago. Oh my goodness, Charles Rowland just kissed me-
“You could never unsettle me, or whatever you think you did. Edwin, there is nothing that you could do that would ever make me uncomfortable, and singing my praises certainly isn’t one of them.” Charles’ voice got quieter. “Even if I don’t believe it myself yet.”
Slowly, Edwin placed a shaky hand on the side of Charles’ face. “Then I will keep on saying it until you believe me. If that’s okay with you.”
Charles nodded with a wide smile. “Yeah, I suppose I could get used to it.”
Edwin’s eyes softened before realising another important piece of information he needed the answer to. “So, did you kiss me to make me stop talking or-?”
“ No,” Charles quickly interrupted. He paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. Edwin waited patiently. “I think I’ve been in love with you this whole time.” He whispered.
“I’ve just been so confused because I’ve never been in love or had a best mate so I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel. I mean, I kind of thought giving up my afterlife, swearing to protect you with my soul and not wanting to be more than five feet away from you at all times was normal until Crystal once told me that she genuinely thought we were dating when she first met us,” Charles took a deep breath and Edwin marvelled at how fast the boy could talk. “Then I realised that the feeling I get in my chest when I’m around you isn’t just because you’re my best friend, it’s because- it’s because I love you.”
Edwin stared at the boy's flushed face and wondered how on earth he managed to find someone like Charles.
“Sorry, that probably didn’t make any sense,” Charles said with a small laugh, refusing to meet his eyes.
“It does not have to make sense,” Edwin said with a small smile before carefully wiping away the tear tracks from his face. “I love you, though I suppose you already knew that.”
“Doesn’t hurt to say it again though, does it?” Charles finally met his gaze. “I could listen to you say it for eternity and never get tired.”
“Well, that is a positive then,” Edwin said, his eyes softening. “Because we really do have forever.”
“Forever,” Charles promised before closing the distance between them again.
—-----------------------------
A week later, Edwin stood in front of his grave with Charles’ arm wrapped around his shoulders and Crystal gesturing to the stone with a grand “Ta-da!”.
Right next to it was the newly refurbished grave belonging to Charles Rowland with Niko kneeling at the base, rearranging the last of the flowers she had bought earlier.
“There,” she said softly, standing up and brushing the loose soil off of her jeans. “Now the world will never forget you guys.”
Edwin re-read the words on his grave, matching Charles’ own, even as the words slightly blurred.
Edwin Payne Charles Rowland
1900 - 1916 1973 - 1989
Beloved detectives and reunited in death.
He would have to give Crystal the day off after this.