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Charles hated the cold. It didn't matter that he wasn't able to feel it now that he was a ghost, he still knew it was cold outside as the frost covered the windows and the snow began to fall. He would stare out the window, watching the falling snow as he felt the cold in his bones, the same way he had the night he died and he would begin to shiver softly at first. His body moving barely enough for anyone to register besides himself. Eventually, the shivering would become more pronounced as it became full body shudders that had his teeth clattering as he tried to speak. At one point, he would just try to ignore it. He would tell himself that he was safe inside the office that he and Edwin called home and not back in the cold attic that he had died in. He would tell himself that the place was warm, even though the two of them never checked to see if the heating worked.
Edwin had changed that. Edwin didn't like seeing Charles shiver from a cold that only he could feel. The way that his skin would pale and bruises would once more appear under his eyes and on his skin. So, Edwin did his best to make Charles feel warm on those occasions in his own way. The first being, helping Charles to fix his coat so that it covered his neck and body just a little bit more. The second was the blanket he acquired especially for Charles. One of the many so-called ghost rules was the fact they couldn't actually feel anything outside of each other as well as items that were enchanted for them. Edwin could have held Charles all day long but his own body was cool to the touch and didn't provide the heat that Charles craved. So the blanket was the perfect solution and one that he knew would bring Charles comfort on days that he couldn't quite remember he wasn't supposed to be cold anymore.
Sneaking the blanket into the agency to enchant would be harder as the two of them barely spent any time apart. So, Edwin had to figure out how to enchant it outside of the office before surprising Charles with it. A feat that could take hours as he wasn't skilled at enchantments but he only had a limited amount of time before Charles would come looking for him as Charles tended to worry when he stayed away too long. Sneaking out of the office had been simpler as he just advised Charles that he needed a new book and Charles happily waved him off as he lay on the couch listening to one of his many cassette tapes. Edwin didn't see the appeal of the tapes but Charles would happily hum along as he tapped his foot to the beat.
He left the office through the mirror, going to one of the many shops that now lined the streets of London. He walked the snowy sidewalk, looking through the windows until he found the place he wanted and went inside. There was an assortment of blankets and while he couldn't feel them, he tried his best to judge by the material what would be the softest and most comfortable for Charles that was also in a pleasing color. Eventually, he picked out a dark blue blanket that looked to be slightly fuzzy. He made sure no one was around before picking it up and carrying it towards the back of the store. The stock room was empty allowing him to work in peace as he placed the blanket down on a box and pulled out his notebook.
He had written several spells down and now he set to work on using them. The first spell didn't take and he had to try again, changing his tone and annunciation several times. He tried not to get frustrated after several attempts to enchant the blanket failed and he was beginning to wonder if he should try a different spell or blanket when he finally got it right. A light gold mist seemed to cover the blanket but faded quickly and when he reached out to touch it, his hand hit a solid mass. Unfolding the blanket, he wrapped it around himself feeling the weight of the material. He smiled to himself as he sat the blanket back down and cast a second spell. This one took immediately and he picked it up again to find that he could actually feel how soft the material was now. He ran his hand along the surface enjoying the feeling for a moment before tucking it beneath his coat. He made his way out of the back room and to the front of the store with the blanket securely hidden to keep people from seeing it floating. The cashier was busy helping another customer and he dropped a few pounds on the counter in payment before leaving with the blanket he acquired. From there it was a short mirror hop to his favorite bookstore to acquire a spellbook he needed before hopping back to the office where he found Charles in the same place he left him. Charles smiled at him as he entered moving the headphones away from his ears.
"Did you find the book that you needed?" Charles asked happily and Edwin nodded his head as he sat the book down on the desk.
"I did but I'm afraid I misled you as I didn't actually leave the office just in search of a book," Edwin admitted and Charles frowned.
"Then where else did you go?" Charles wondered getting to his feet. It was unusual for Edwin to not tell him everything and Charles found he really didn't like it.
"To get you this," Edwin answered pulling the blanket out of his coat. He saw the confusion on Charles's face as he reached for it but the confusion quickly turned back to happiness as he realized he could feel it. "I know you don't like the cold, so I thought the blanket might help."
"This is brills," Charles told him happily as he wrapped the blanket around himself. He could feel the softness of the weighed material on him and he couldn't help himself as he then flung his arms around Edwin hugging him tightly. Edwin hesitantly reached up his arms to wrap them around Charles's back. He wasn't use to the affection that Charles showered on him but he also wasn't going to deny Charles the touch that he seemed to crave. He waited until Charles stepped back before releasing the hug and allowing Charles to return to the couch where he happily wrapped himself in the blanket as he curled on the couch. Edwin started to make his way to the desk but Charles spoke up before he could reach it. "Do you want to read to me from your new book?"
"Of course," Edwin agreed picking up the book and heading to the couch. He took a seat on the far end from Charles and Charles immediately moved so that he was curled against Edwin's side with his head on his shoulder. Smiling to himself Edwin opened the book and began to read.