Chapter Text
Niko was excited as she ran up to the Christmas tree in the middle of town, dragging Crystal with their fingers intertwined. Anyone could see, clear as day, where their hands stayed connected, and they kept giggling to each other. One might even say they saw Crystal blushing.
“I guarantee you they’re dating, mate.” Charles whispered as they kept a few paces behind the girls.
“Girls are allowed to hold hands without it being romantic, Charles,” Edwin sighed. “Especially in the modern age.”
“And blokes can’t? How’s that fair?” He pouted. Crystal was waving them over, so he ran to catch up with them.
For some reason, it really did make Edwin’s heart flutter to see Charles wearing the scarf he’d knitted.
He hadn’t made it specifically for Charles – it just happened to be black and red, just happened to match his outfit perfectly, just happened to be enchanted for ghosts to wear without it floating. …At least, when he started working on it, that’s what he convinced himself of.
It started off as just a part of his cover – the lady he disguised himself as knitted in her spare time, so after a handful of cases, he had half of a scarf in his lap. The colors were nice, he told himself, but he didn’t realize just how much they reminded him of Charles when he picked them. Eventually, he decided to finish the project in his spare time around the office, using it as a tool to destress. He’d enchanted it, then left it lying around, expecting it to collect dust.
Then, when he went to collect Niko from the nearby airport, he hadn’t expected to return to see Charles with it around his neck.
“Oi, Edwin!” Charles called out from near the tree. “The lighting ceremony is about to start! Get over here!”
Edwin shook himself from his thoughts and caught up with his friends, staring up at the absurdly large tree in front of them. It vaguely reminded him of how large Teeth Face had been, but this tree didn’t seem enchanted, or like a spirit from another dimension.
“You’re tense, ‘Win,” Charles frowned. He came around Edwin and started massaging his shoulders. “Loosen up, won’t you?” Edwin blushed, appreciative that Charles couldn’t see it from behind him.
After just a few more minutes, the tree lit up in front of them with an announcement from some of the event organizers. It was well-lit, and London City Hall never looked more beautiful, if you asked Edwin. “They didn’t have this event when I was alive,” he whispered. “Did you ever come, Charles?”
“Usually, yeah,” he smiled. “My mum celebrated Diwali in the fall, and my dad celebrated Christmas. He… was kind of a shithead about it, but mum always made sure to bring me out so there’d be a ‘little light in my holidays,’” he remembered.
“Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman,” Edwin responded, but he didn’t tear his eyes away from the tree.
He remembered a small child running up to his parents on Christmas day, pretending the rest of the year hadn’t happened. For one day a year, his parents would show him love, embrace him, and treat him like more than a doll to brag about. His whole family would visit, and he would feel safe. He was allowed child-like joy one day a year.
“She did her best,” Charles laughed, then stopped as he looked over and noticed – Edwin had started crying. “Oh shit, Eds, don’t cry…”
“I am truly sorry, I just…” he took a deep, unneeded breath, trying to will himself to stop crying. It usually worked, but didn’t seem to at that moment. “I feel… warm, Charles. For the first time since…” he thought back to when Charles hugged him after their return from Port Townsend. He hadn’t felt this warm since that fateful day in February.
The warmth only seemed to spread throughout his corporeal form as Charles took his hand and stepped closer. “This was supposed to be fun, mate, not all emotional,” he let out a soft chuckle. “You’re safe with us. Loved, with us.” He took another step closer, pressing his forehead against Edwin’s. “You are loved.”
He thought back to the long staircase of Hell, and how quick Charles was to return his love when he thought it was platonic. Somehow, this felt different than that friendly ‘love you too,’ but he couldn’t allow himself to get his hopes up.
Instead, he simply replied with, “As are you, Charles.”