Archive of Our Own ^beta

“What the fuck!?” Charles’ voice echoed around Crystal’s room above Jenny’s shop. “Ow,” Crystal tried to suppress a snort and failed. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Well, you did just run face first into a door.”

“Yeah,” said Charles turning around to face her, head tipped back slightly as he wiped away a thin trail of blood leaking from his nose. “Because I’m supposed to be able to walk through them.”

Edwin stepped around her. “Curious,” he reached out and touched Charles’s jacket tentatively. “It seems our last client wasn’t lying after all.”

“Told ya,” Charles said smugly. “And you were all ‘it’s far too good to be true Charles’ about it.”

Edwin fixed him with a fondly exasperated look. “Well forgive me for being somewhat dubious about a pair of rings that turn ghost’s corporeal. It does seem a little far-fetched.”

Edwin held out his hand and frowned at the large gold ring on his finger. “It could be a little more elegant.” 

Crystal rolled her eyes. “God, only you would complain about the aesthetics of a magic ring that made you alive again.”

“Not alive,” Edwin said sharply. “Just…physical.”

Crystal shrugged. “Same same.”

Edwin exhaled, managing to fit a lot of annoyance into one small breath of air. “My heart isn’t beating, I am still very firmly dead. I imagine there are some other inconsistencies as well. We should run some tests.”

“Come on mate,” Charles stepped forward grinning, his nose finally not bleeding. “Have a little fun, who knows, this charm might wear off after some time, don’t wanna waste it,” he raised an eyebrow.

Edwin settled back in his chair with a face that suggested he very much did not consider an afternoon of exhaustive experimentation a waste.

Charles grinned widely at him.

“Fine.” 

“Yes, brills! First things first, I want to see if I can eat!”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “Obviously the most important thing.”

“Come on Edwin, don’t you miss food?”

Edwin’s eyes flicked over him. “To be honest, I can scarcely remember it.”

“Even more reason to try!”

Crystal stood up. “How about I go grab some bits and come back. Last thing I need is people asking questions about where you two came from and then more questions about where you disappeared off to. Any special requests?”

Edwin shook his head. “I sincerely doubt the sweets from my childhood still exist.”

“Lotsa candy, got it,” Crystal pointed her fingers at him. 

Charles looked thoughtful for a minute then finally broke out in a wide smile. “Do you reckon they have fish and chips here?”

Crystal stared at him. “Here? As in the tiny American seaside town? Yeah, probably.”

“Oi, no need to be rude. I dunno what’s changed, haven’t paid much attention in the last couple decades have I?”

Crystal laughed and grabbed her coat. “I’ll just grab a selection of stuff.”

Charles waved her off and waited for the door to close before perching on the step ladder next to Edwin.

“You know mate, food wasn’t the first thing I thought of.”

Edwin’s head snapped around to look at him, cheeks flushed. He raised his hand to one of them, feeling the heat under his finger tips.

“Well, that’s cute,” Charles murmured. “Never seen you go pink before.”

“Stop teasing.” 

“M’not teasing,” Charles leant back and crossed his arms. “The second I hit that door I thought, ‘fab if I can feel this I bet I can feel him’.”

Edwin felt his face burn even warmer. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s why Crystal left, because I was not keeping those thoughts to myself at all.”

“Don’t be silly, she can’t read minds like that.”

Charles smirked. “Mate, I was loud .”

Edwin rolled his eyes. “It’s probably a good thing she can’t pick up on all your errant thoughts.”

Charles nudged him. “Yours either. You’d have never looked her in the eye again.”

“Quite,” Edwin couldn’t help a small smile that curled across his lips.

The last few months had been tumultuous.

Crystal was still reaching out to try and mend broken bridges back home. Niko’s flat sat empty and silent and none of them spoke about it. The Night Nurse came and went.

Edwin and Charles fell back into their easy routine of case files and mysteries.

Edwin’s confession on the steps of hell had faded into the background. 

Edwin had been content to let it lie, he’d said his piece and no longer felt the weight of his secrets pressing down on his shoulders every time he looked at Charles. He was content to love and be loved; even if that love took on slightly different shapes for each of them.

Crystal had continued to roll her eyes at them and mutter about their old married vibes though, and, whilst Edwin now found this quite amusing — although he’d never let Crystal know that — Charles had glowered quietly about it the first few times before exploding angrily one afternoon.

Unusually he’d been the one to snap at Crystal after another light teasing remark — this one hot on the tail of Edwin being particularly demanding on a case and Charles shamelessly indulging him.

After the fifth run through the mirror to fetch something from the office she had shaken her head and told Charles he was ‘properly whipped now’. 

Under different circumstances it might have been an affectionate joke.

But the circumstances they were under involved missing children and a potentially dangerous demon on the loose who’s skills involved infiltrating the minds of seers. Crystal had been all but sidelined and all of them were feeling the pressure to find the children before the worst happened. 

They’d made up of course, apologised and smoothed over old wounds once the case was wrapped up. But the visceral angry outburst from Charles — so what if I am? What’s your bloody problem with that? Would you just quit with the fucking married jokes, it’s not funny anymore alright? — had left him and Edwin needing a much more personal conversation, one Edwin had largely considered ‘case closed’ up to this point.

Edwin had approached Charles afterwards, he was a quicker learner and the entire ordeal with hiding his own emotions had been a rather eye opening experience he had no intention of repeating.

The subsequent conversation had been rather eye opening itself. 

For both of them. 

“Oi,” Charles’ voice snapped Edwin’s attention back to him. “Should I be offended I'm already losing your interest?”

Edwin stood up, slipping into the gap of Charles’ legs and relaxing as he felt the familiar presence of hands settle on his waist. “Hardly. I was simply remembering why it would be terribly embarrassing for Crystal to be privy to my thoughts.”

“Mate, I think she knows, your face is a dead give away.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t know exactly what I’m thinking,” Edwin murmured, his hands finding Charles’ collar and making a very brief attempt at straightening it out before his fingers simply gripped it tightly and pulled Charles towards him. “I’m fairly certain Crystal still thinks I am a delicate virgin you’re waiting patiently for.” He let a hand flutter sarcastically to his brow.

Charles smirked, “if only she knew.”

“If only indeed,” Edwin closed the gap and sealed their lips together, sighing contentedly. “I dare say, that is rather different with a corporeal body.”

Charles’s fingers dug into his waist, pulling at Edwin’s shirt and trying to untuck it. “I very much need you to be wearing less right now.” 

Edwin leaned back and peered down, Charles’ eyes were blown wide, his voice was low and strained and his cheeks had taken on a beautiful high blush that turned his dark skin even darker. 

His eyes flicked down to Charles’ lap and he raised an eyebrow. “I see.”

“I was right,” Charles grinned. “Kissing you in a corporeal body is absolute aces.”

“Better than running face first into a door?”

Charles rolled his eyes but the affectionate smile didn’t lessen. “Not sure, might have to try the kissing again.”

Edwin smirked. “Well, proper science does involve repetition.” 

Charles’ hands were back on Edwin’s hips tugging at the fabric of his shirt until he could wiggle one hand under the hem. “God, you’re hot,” Charles murmured.

“Thank-you.” 

Charles laughed. “No - I mean, yes obviously you’re very cute, but I mean literally your skin is hot Edwin. I can feel it, it’s incredible.”

“Mmmm,” Edwin mumbled an agreement, his face buried in Charles’ neck. “I can taste your sweat.”

Charles shivered at the pointed tongue that ran its way up the column of his neck. He’d always been sensitive there and Edwin had worked that out almost immediately and exploited it every chance he got. This was so much more intense, he could feel the rough pass of Edwin’s tongue, the damp wet trail it left cooling in the air of Crystal’s apartment, the heated movement over his skin when Edwin breathed out.

“‘Win-,” his head fell back, tilting to let Edwin closer and he felt the sharp nip of teeth. “Fuck… that’s- Edwin!” 

It was almost embarrassing how quickly Edwin could make Charles melt. He had very much gone into this expecting to have to gently guide Edwin through some sort of sexual awakening — quite what knowledge and experience Charles was planning to use for this had been a mystery, but he was nothing if not confident in his ability to wing it. Edwin however had once again proven there was more to him than met the eye. Whilst his knowledge of modern day terminology might be woefully lacking his knowledge of what the actual processes were was not .

Edwin had been slightly cagey about where he’d got all this knowledge. Charles’ first thought had been Hell, but Edwin didn’t seem disturbed or uncomfortable. So his second — and more reasonable thought — had been books. He’d then spent a fairly considerable amount of an afternoon imagining Edwin reading erotica before exploding and insisting to Edwin he just absolutely had to know.

Edwin had been more embarrassed to admit he’d not done anything of the sort and, actually, he had traversed the layer of Hell reserved for fornication with his eyes firmly averted. 

He’d then haltingly admitted he was just doing what he liked, touching Charles in the way he wanted to be touched. That his usual logical and process driven approach to performing tasks well had gone out the window the second he got his hands on Charles’ skin.

Edwin had framed this as a terrible lapse in attention to detail and care, Charles had framed it as Edwin being a horny minx — Charles’ words not Edwin’s — and they’d yet to agree on who was right. 

Whatever the reason, Charles wasn’t complaining. Edwin was right about one thing, Crystal was still firmly of the opinion that he was uptight and repressed and Charles was the one gently coaxing him into flashing an ankle. It was a strangely heady feeling to keep quiet and smirk, and let her carry on thinking that every time she teased them. Edwin had made no move to correct her and, as much as Charles loved her, it was also nice that this was just for the two of them.

No doubt Crystal would find out they’d fucked on every available moderately flat surface her apartment had to offer eventually — and that Edwin was often the one suggesting more adventurous avenues — but for now it was between them.

“Now who’s attention is wandering?” Edwin murmured reproachfully against Charles’ neck.

“Not my fault you’re taking forever getting rid of this jumper.”

Edwin rolled his eyes fondly and stepped back, pulling the vest over his head and placing it carefully on the desk. “There. Happy?”

“Always,” Charles replied, using the loose fabric of Edwin’s trousers to tug him back in between his legs. “Now I can do this,” his fingers made short work of the buttons on Edwin’s shirt, opening it up and exposing the boy's pale skin.

Edwin shivered. “Does she not turn the heating on in here?”

Charles shrugged, not really listening, instead he leant in and pressed small kisses around the muscle of Edwin’s chest, working slowly towards a peaked nipple.

Armed with the information that Edwin’s prowess in making Charles unravel almost instantly was just Edwin assuming desire and sensation were universal had accidentally provided Charles with a lot of information about what Edwin might like to have done to him.

They’d established almost immediately that Charles could care less about his nipples. Sure it was nice to have Edwin focus all this attention on him and Charles was never going to complain about that , but it didn’t really do much for him. 

Edwin, on the other hand, could practically get off on his — a fact Charles gleefully and repeatedly exploited.

As soon as his mouth closed over one Edwin sighed and sank into his arms, letting Charles take the bulk of his weight. 

The step ladder wobbled precariously.

“Perhaps we should move?” Edwin murmured from above Charles. “I don’t want a repeat of the stapler incident.”

“Wasn’t that bad,” Charles let go of Edwin’s nipple with a wet sound, drawing a hiss out of the boy before Edwin swallowed and looked down.

“You weren’t the one who landed on it.”

“Hmm, fair,” Charles slipped off the ladder and stepped forward, pushing Edwin back as he went until they bumped into the window behind it, the blinds rattled as Charles pushed Edwin into them. “Now, stay still, wouldn’t want anyone looking up here,” Charles raised an eyebrow. “Would we?”

Edwin shook his head, fingers gripping the windowsill as Charles slowly sank down to his knees. It had taken Edwin a little time to get used to the concept of accepting without reciprocating. That actually what Charles did enjoy was knowing he was doing something for Edwin that no one else was allowed to. That Edwin fell apart under his hands and his hands alone. 

Edwin’s fingers curled around the edge of the ledge in an attempt to keep them still as Charles patiently unbuttoned his trousers.

“So hot.” 

“Charles!” Edwin flushed looking down at him.

Charles had tugged his trousers open and pushed the shirt ends to one side. Edwin was still stubbornly refusing Charles’ gentle coaxing to try on modern underwear — or no underwear. Not that Charles had let that stop him, the first few times Charles had tried to undress Edwin had been laughably complicated and they had had to stop at various stages for Edwin to untangle one thing or another — sock garters? Seriously Edwin? But Charles was a fast learner and these days he had Edwin’s underthings unbuttoned and open in seconds. 

“What? I can literally feel heat coming from you,” he grinned up at Edwin. “It’s brills!”

Edwin flushed at the sight of Charles knelt down, “Charles…”

“Hang on, yeah,” he grinned and peeled Edwin’s fingers off the window ledge.

Edwin followed him, tangling his fingers into the dark black curls above Charles’ ear. His head thunked back on the window, the blinds crunching oddly behind his head as Charles took him into his mouth easily.

“F-u-uck,” Edwin was a lot more liberal with his swearing these days, although it was curiously centred around proximity to Charles. His fingers clenched, tugging on Charles’ hair and a satisfied moan floated up, muffled. 

Charles settled onto his knees, eyes drifting closed as he moved his head gradually, taking in the warm weight of Edwin’s cock in his mouth, the subtle taste of his skin and the salt tang as Edwin leaked into his mouth.

Everything was heightened in a corporeal body, it wasn’t different exactly, just more. The intensity took Charles by surprise, he rarely had an issue teasing Edwin, dragging him to the precipice and then backing off, winding the boy up until he begged Charles to finish him.

But now he found himself on a knife edge, hard in his pants and straining at the zipper of his trousers. Edwin’s breathy moans had shifted into something high and needy and Charles could feel his cock pulsing on his tongue. 

Neither of them would be lasting much longer, no matter what either of them preferred.

“Charles-,” Edwin’s fingers tightened in Charles’s hair. “Crystal - she’s -, ” he cut off with a moan, hips jerking as he pushed in deeper.

Charles hummed in acknowledgement, he didn’t need the rest of the sentence to understand Edwin had a pretty clear view of the street below and Crystal was never going to be gone for that long. He popped the button on his trousers and slid the zipper down, the thought of her catching them twisted curiously in his gut and he tucked that away to examine later.

Charles stuttered to a stop as his fingers wrapped around his cock, hot damp skin coming into contact with rough calluses for the first time in a very long time. He’d almost forgotten the exact feeling of his hand on his cock, something he’d been pretty intimately familiar with before his death.

“Charles…please…,” Edwin’s voice came from above, desperate and tight. Charles opened his eyes and looked up to meet Edwin’s, wide and dark and staring down at him. “Please… I can’t - ” 

Charles gazed up at him, eyes soft and ran his tongue over the tip of Edwin’s cock, squeezing into his thigh with his unoccupied hand as he gripped himself and stroked with practised ease. 

“Oh god, oh god…,” Edwin moaned and folded forward, spilling into Charles’s mouth, fingers gripping tightly in his hair as he came sharply and without warning.  “Y-y-our turn,” he panted breathlessly into Charles’ ear, “you’ve been so good. ” 

Charles let Edwin’s cock fall from his mouth, catching the last drops with his tongue as he buried his face into Edwin’s lap to muffle the shout that escaped as he spent over the floor.

“We need…,” Edwin swallowed dryly and cupped Charles’s face. “We need to neaten up, Crystal’s on her way up.” His voice was still rough, threaded with arousal and all Charles wanted to do was bask in the afterglow.

“Gimme a minute, I don’t think I’ve come that hard since I was alive.”

“Don’t be vulgar Charles. Also, rude.”

“Nothing personal! Just yanno, can’t beat actually feeling,” he pulled his head back and looked up cheekily. “Or tasting.”

Edwin flushed. “Yes, well. If you want to do this again before the ring’s charm possibly wears off you might want to button your trousers before Crystal catches us. I can’t imagine she’d take kindly to a full viewing.”

Charles smirked. “I don’t think she’d mind,” he said, but stood anyway, buttoning his trousers and grimacing. “Guess that's one inconvenient side effect of being corporeal.” 

Edwin rolled his eyes. “I’ll be sure to note ‘ejaculate does not disappear’ down in my notes,” he snipped back waspishly as he shoved his shirt back into his trousers and buttoned them back up. “Where is my jumper!” Edwin spun around frantically.

“Babe, calm down. It’s not the end of the world if she knows we’ve been… you know.” Charles was holding his jumper out on one finger.

Edwin snatched it. “Really, if you can’t use the word fellate you probably shouldn’t be doing it.”

“Want me to stop?”

“Don’t be insane, Charles.” Edwin slipped the jumper over his head and Charles stepped in smiling to smooth over the wrinkles and set his bowtie back in place.

“I mean it ‘Win. I don’t care if she knows, I know it bothers you, so I’m happy keeping it under wraps. But…,” he paused. “Sometimes I do sort of want to scream it from the rooftop you know.”

Edwin stopped fiddling with his clothes and looked at Charles intently. “Charles… I -”

“Hey!” The door to the apartment flung open and Crystal walked in hefting two full bags. “So I got some take out, pizza I’m afraid, nothing fancy nearby. Turns out they do not have fish and chips, which seems like a massive over -,” she stopped, looking between them and the tense silence that filled the room. “You two look suspicious as fuck.” 

“Nah,” Charles said, stepping back out of Edwin’s personal space and around the ironing board desk that stood between them. “Just testing a few theories, turns out we can now feel temperature and Edwin here has some complaints about the heating situation.”

“Charles!”

Crystal turned a raised eyebrow on him. “Well when Edwin here starts paying rent, he can turn the heating on,” she turned and dumped the bags down on the kitchen table.

Charles turned back to Edwin, mouthing sorry as he walked away. “What else did you get?”

There was a loud set of bangs and crashes and Crystal upended the two bags, “lets see, I’ve got crisps, candy, chocolate, this cake looked kinda cool, I have never seen a drink that colour in London so I figured why not and of course Edwin has to try coke.”

“You bought cocaine?” Edwin appeared behind Charles. “I was led to believe it was illegal these days.”

“What the fuck?” Crystal stared at him incredulously.  “No, Edwin, I did not go out and get pizza, candy and oh, also some drugs,” she held up a bottle of Coca Cola.

“Hm, disappointing, I do recall it being particularly uplifting. Well, in any case I’m familiar with that drink as well. Can’t say I particularly cared for it,” Charles was looking at him. “What?”

“How have you never mentioned doing coke before?”

Edwin’s eyes darted back and forth between Crystal and Charles’ matching shocked expressions. “It was medicine!” He said defensively. “The school nurse would give it to us occasionally.”

Charles shook his head. “And they said the eighties were wild,” he rummaged through the pile of candy.

Crystal smacked his wrist. “Ah, dinner first, candy later. Come on,” she moved past them and dropped onto the couch, flipping open the pizza boxes she’d dumped on the coffee table.

Charles slipped past Edwin, catching his hand as he went and gently squeezing at his fingertips. “Cocaine?” He grinned. “Mate,no wonder I can’t keep up with you.”

Edwin rolled his eyes but returned the pressure affectionately.

“Guys, pizza’s getting cold. Come on, I wanna see Edwin’s face when he gets to the hot sauce.”

“We had spices in 1914 as well, Crystal,” Edwin snipped back with no real malice, sitting neatly on the chair next to the table and allowing Charles to climb over him to sprawl on the couch next to Crystal.

She grabbed a slice and took a bite, leaning back to watch them.

Edwin eyed it dubiously as Charles dived in after her, rolling a slice up and shoving it in his mouth, groaning loudly around the huge mouthful. “Thi’ if d’lithof.” 

Edwin looked at him. “Really Charles, I’d have thought by now you’d know not to talk with your mouth full,” he raised an eyebrow and Charles choked slightly, swallowing hard before lowering the rest of his slice.

Crystal muffled a cough in hers. “Drink?” She thrust a bright blue bottle at Edwin. “You gotta at least try the blue.”

He pulled his eyes away from Charles who was shoving another slice of pizza in his mouth. “Blue? Nothing you drink should be blue.”

“You drink blue potions all the time.”

“I made them. I know what’s in them”

“You’re dead, what’s the worst it could do?”

They stared at each for a moment then Edwin sighed and flung his hand out. “Fine.”

He unscrewed the cap and took a hesitant sniff before tipping the liquid into his mouth.

Charles and Crystal leant forward slightly.

Edwin resisted the urge to fidget under their joint staring as the cool drink hit his tongue. Their pointed interest faded from his periphery as his tongue registered what he’d put on it.

Sweet and sharp and tangy all at the same time. It would have been overwhelming even if he hadn’t last tasted food over a hundred years ago. 

He held the liquid in his mouth, letting it rest on his tongue and warm slightly before swallowing it. It left behind a strange residue and hints of the intense flavour that left him feeling like he was missing something. He took another mouthful and let out a satisfied hum, quite aside from the taste it seemed his body was remembering thirst and this drink was doing a lot of work at alleviating it.

“Take it you like that then?” Charles was grinning at him.

“It’s passable.”

Charles looked at him, amused. “Mate, your face right now, haven’t seen you look this satisfied in a while.”

Crystal made an odd choking noise and shoved another mouthful of pizza in.

Edwin ignored her, and the heat rapidly rising on his face, in favour of taking another careful mouth of juice. He pulled the bottle back and peered at it. “What is a ‘blue raspberry’? Do they come in blue now?”

“Nah,” said Charles. “Just a made up fake flavour.”

“Hmm, well it is quite nice.”

“Now do you want some pizza?”

Edwin contemplated it for a moment. “No, I think I’m fine with this.”

Crystal reached over and grabbed the other two bottles. “Here, Green Apple and Strawberry Watermelon.”

“Oi, I was going to have some of those!”

“You can share,” she shrugged.

Edwin held the blue bottle out to Charles, “hardly the worst thing we’ve shared.”

Charles grinned and took the bottle.

Crystal looked between them for two seconds and then deliberately placed her pizza down. “Okay, you know what? I was going to let it go, but if you two are going to openly be making dirty jokes in front of me, I have some things to say.”

Edwin shifted in the chair and rolled his jaw. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Crystal sat forward and raised an eyebrow pointedly. “Edwin. You have jizz on your shoe.”

Charles choked and it took all of Edwin’s willpower to not immediately check his shoe. Instead he folded his hands back in his lap now that Charles had the gatorade bottle and tilted his head. “Jizz?”

Crystal narrowed her eyes. “Don’t act all innocent,” she pointed her fingers at both of them. “I know there’s something going on, there’s been something going on for ages and that is fine ,” she looked at them intently. “It is good. But you should know the windows in this place are fully visible from the street and Charles-,” she turned to him. “Charles, babe, your thoughts are so loud, I mean you have no poker face either, but jesus . I have had to leave and go walk around town so much these past few months.”

“ That’s why you’ve been going out?” Charles’ eyes were wide and he was staring at Crystal in horror. “I didn’t think your powers worked like that!”

“They don’t normally! You two and your thoughts are a lot !”

Edwin cleared his throat and swiped the bottle of fluorescent pink liquid off the table, twisting the lid and taking a large mouthful. He choked as the flavour hit his tongue. “Fuck, that is horrific,” he dumped it back on the table and stared at the bottle as if it were likely to bite back. Charles handed him back the blue bottle without a sound and Edwin gratefully took a large mouthful.

“So, you’re not gonna, like, clean your shoe or anything.” Crystal said after a long silence.

Edwin fixed her with a long look and took another mouth of gatorade. “I am a ghost Crystal, I can adjust my appearance with a single thought.”

Her eyes dropped to the table, his shoes tucked beneath it, and then flicked back to Edwin’s. “I bet you’ve left it there.”

Edwin raised an eyebrow and took another sip, face straight and revealing nothing.

Charles looked back and forth between them rapidly.

Crystal stood up, “Well! He certainly think’s that delightful,” she nodded in Charles’ direction, “and I am taking that as my cue to leave. I’ll be downstairs with Jenny, please learn to think inside thoughts.”

The door had barely shut behind her and Charles was leaning forward to peer at Edwin’s shoes. “Oh fuck mate, she’s right.”

“I know,” came the calm reply.

Charles looked up at him, “did you leave that there on purpose?”

Edwin flushed. “I…enjoyed the reminder. I hadn’t expected it to be…noticable.”

“Kinky,” Charles grinned, leaning back on the sofa and taking a swig of the pink liquid Edwin had rejected. He pulled a face. “Yeah that is not good.” 

“Told you. This blue one is rather nice though.”

“Well, may as well dig in.”

“Feel free, I think I am content with the drinks for now.”

“Not hungry?” Charles frowned at Edwin, looking concerned.

Edwin shrugged. “It’s been over a hundred years since I last ate, I’m just…I’m not sure I care that much. It was never something I missed.”

Charles pulled a face. “‘Spose. May as well enjoy the drinks then!” He pushed the violent green liquid towards Edwin. “Here.”

Edwin smiled and obliged, twisting the top off and sipping tentatively at the drink. “Certainly an improvement on that ghastly pink one. Although I have never eaten an apple that tastes like this.”

Charles huffed, laughing fondly around another mouth of pizza. “So, how long do you think before Crystal pisses Jenny off and comes back?” He quirked an eyebrow in Edwin’s direction.

Edwin swallowed, the bottle half empty now, and narrowed his eyes at Charles. “Do you really think that wise given she told us she can hear us?” Edwin flushed, with Crystal gone and no need to maintain an unflappable facade, the mortification at knowing Crystal not only knew what they had been doing earlier but had apparently been privy to far more private thoughts finally manifested on his face.

Charles slid forward, mouth curling up into something dark and promising. “Maybe you just need to stop thinking then, yeah?”

Edwin shivered, already leaning in towards Charles and contemplating how best to repay his earlier actions. Their lips met slowly, unhurried and gentle, Charles nipped at Edwin, hanging onto his lower lip as they broke apart before letting it go and enjoying the red bloom of colour that sprang up. “Wonder if you can get hickey’s now,” he murmured.

Edwin frowned, “I-does that mean something…else?”

Charles leant in, amused. “Lemme show you,” he kissed down the side of Edwin’s jaw, nipping and leaving fast fading indents as he went. Charles reached the soft skin of Edwin’s neck and his tongue darted out, tasting the light salt sheen of the boy's skin before sucking it into his mouth slowly.

Edwin gasped and his head tilted, pressing into Charles eagerly. “O-oh…” he breathed out.

Charles smiled into his neck, pulling back to admire the damp skin as it turned from Edwin’s sun starved pale white to a bitten pink.

“Charles…,” Edwin exhaled, eyes fluttering closed as he shifted, ready to move.

The door to the flat slammed open. “I am so sorry! I swear my eyes are closed! Not that that’s like…making much difference or whatever but… look I’m trying okay. Can you please come downstairs, we have a situation.” The door slammed shut again and Charles and Edwin sat in stunned silence for a moment looking at where Crystal had been for all of ten seconds.

“That sounds…important,” Edwin said, standing up and smoothing his trousers out. “We should go.”

Charles cleared his throat. “Yeah, just...uh...gonna need a minute.”

Edwin smirked and took a long deliberate swallow, finishing off the sour blue liquid, tracking the way Charles’ eyes followed the movement.

“That’s not helping, mate.”

“What?” Edwin said, “I’m thirsty.”

“Now guys! Come on. Jesus fuck.” Crystal’s voice came through the door.

Charles shook his head, amused. “You’re bad.”

“ You love it.”

Charles’ face slid into something fond. “‘Course I do. Come on, better get going before she bangs the door open again.”

He hopped  over the couch and opened the door to the flat to find Crystal standing glaring at it. “When this is over, I am going to Tragic Mike’s and I don’t care what he wants, I'm getting something to block you two out. Or like, a ghost cold shower equivalent,” she peered around Charles to Edwin. “ You are the worst.”

Charles twisted to look at Edwin. “I’m gonna need to know whatever it is she knows, yeah?”

Edwin flushed and brushed past him without answering.

Charles looked at Crystal beseechingly.

“I’m not fucking telling you! Christ.” She turned and walked away, flinging her hands up in the air.

The problem downstairs turned out to be the town's new librarian. So far not a stalker psychopath but Jenny was still eyeing her warily and keeping a firm grip on the meat cleaver.

“Do you have to conduct your business from my business?” 

“Where would you suggest otherwise?” Edwin snipped back with as little bite as Jenny’s remark had had.

All of them had reached a sort of equilibrium following Niko’s death. None of them willing to move on and away entirely and all fiercely refusing to let her absence twist their strange friendships into anything other than what they were.

Jenny complained at them for being in her space, Crystal countered with sarcasm, Edwin snipped back bitchily and Charles smiled and smoothed over it all with an easy charm.

“Look I’m just not wild about librarians okay.”

The librarian looked at them frowning.

“She killed the last one,” Crystal added helpfully.

Jenny raised an eyebrow, not stepping in to clarify the circumstances and happy to just let it linger.

“Uh. Okay, look I’m…um sorry I’ll just go. I don’t want to bother you and honestly this place is freaking me out.”

Crystal reached out and laid a hand on the woman’s arm. “We’re sorry, just…tell them.”

“I…uh…I think the library is haunted or something. I’m working there kinda late right now trying to undo the mess filing the last librarian left-,” her eyes flicked over to Jenny nervously. “Uh, anyway. Yeah weird shit keeps happening, noises, lights going on and off, books falling off shelves.”

“Not really something we’d take on, random hauntings are hardly that unusual,” Edwin said snidely looking down his nose at Crystal. “We were busy.” 

Crystal took a deep breath. “We haven’t done a case for ages, those rings were the last time we got paid and that was a while ago. I need rent money-”

“Yeah you do,” Jenny called from behind the counter.

Crystal rolled her eyes and carried on. “I need rent money and honestly I think you two need it. You’re just moping around here all day long.”

Edwin raised one eyebrow at her. “I can assure you we are not moping.”

Crystal rolled her jaw and whirled on Edwin. “ Fine . I was trying to be polite but fuck that. Go out. Do something — anything — so you can think of something — anything — other than Charles railing you into the ground.”

There was an intense silence as every inhabitant of the butcher stop held their breath at Crystal’s outburst, not wanting to be the person to break it and address that elephant.

The librarian’s eyes moved rapidly between Crystal and the two boys.

It was Charles that moved first, Edwin seemed rooted to the floor, cheeks flushed and a tight expression held firmly on his face as if he couldn’t decide whether to be mortified or angry. “Yep, okay. On that…uh…note, we’ll be off. Love to solve the haunted library case, sounds brills yeah?” He looked at the librarian — who seemed to be steadfastly trying to disappear into the floor — encouragingly. “Edwin, love, c’mon,” his voice softened and he nudged Edwin’s elbow gently, shuffling them out of the shop and letting the door close behind them with a gentle click.

“How dare she!” Edwin regained his voice as soon as they turned down the road.

“Come on mate,” Charles said, grinning. “You were kinda asking for it, with the lil bitchy eyebrow and what not.”

“My eyebrow is not bitchy.”

The librarian made an odd coughing noise behind them and then cleared her throat and stared resolutely at the road as they carried on walking.

“Both your eyebrows are bitchy and I love them.”

“Hn,” Edwin huffed.

Charles bumped him with his shoulder. “Into the ground yeah?”

“Charles!” Edwin hissed, shooting a look back towards their companion.

“I can leave, if you guys need, like, a moment.” 

“Don’t be silly, it’s your library and we need you to show us these oddities,” Edwin replied, shooting another pointed look at Charles.

“S’not really mine . I just like…you know what nevermind. I don’t think that really matters.” She trailed off, neither of them were listening to her anyway.

“S’just, you know, not something we’ve done yet,” Charles said quieter, as if that made any difference given how close the woman was to them.

“Are you really going to insist on discussing this now?” Edwin ignored the way the ‘ yet’ set his heart racing.

“Wanna do it back at the flat, in front of Crystal?”

“We may as well, since she apparently knows all the sordid details anyway!”

“Oi, sordid’s a bit harsh!” 

Charles sounded mildly hurt and Edwin stopped turning around dramatically and pinching his forehead between his fingers. “I am sorry, I didn’t…I don’t mean it like that. I just…this is a lot. Okay.”

Charles smiled softly at him and stepped forward, cupping Edwin’s face. “Okay, I’ll leave it for now, yeah.”

Edwin smiled gratefully.

“Let’s go check out this beastie then,” Charles ran a thumb gently over Edwin’s cheek before letting him go and turning back to the librarian. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t…and no one asked so…”

“Bit rude.” 

The librarian raised an eyebrow, as if the last ten minutes of her life hadn’t just been the two of them bickering as if she weren’t there. “Anyway, we’re here,” she unlocked the door and showed them inside waiting for the flickering lights to come on properly before leading them through to a back office.

“So, uh, can I, like, get you something? A drink? I don’t really know how this works…”

Edwin opened his mouth to respond with his usual dry, dead boys quip when he remembered that that was no longer entirely true. Tea was something he remembered, distantly, from his short life. Although he doubted the American standing in front of him holding what looked like a paper bag of black dust was going to make anything quite like his childhood. Still. “Tea sounds nice.” 

A few minutes later and he was sitting at the table facing the girl, Charles perched on the table top next to him, a chipped mug of brown liquid that, charitably, was masquerading as an English Breakfast, held in his hands. Charles was struggling to keep a smirk off his face at the look Edwin was giving the cup.

He drank it slowly as the girl explained the strange happenings in the library — and complained at length about the mess the previous librarian had left. None of the information shed any light on what the creature might be but by the end of it Edwin’s cup was empty and, although he wasn’t entirely prepared to call it ‘tea’, the beverage had been potable enough he wondered idly if it was appropriate to ask for another.

Before he had a chance to ask, the woman finished her explanation and Charles was kindly telling her to stay in the well lit tea room whilst they braved the dark halls of the library. 

“Thank you for the drink,” Edwin inclined his head. “We’ll be back shortly.”

“Sure. I’ll just… be here.” 

“Perfect,” Edwin stood up. “Charles,” he swept out the room, Charles following behind, and headed to the main area of the library where the woman had said she’d first heard the mysterious noises.

“What you thinking?” Charles wandered around aimlessly, peering behind shelves and inside the various carts of books.

“I’m not sure, nothing she described sounded like a ghost, but it also didn’t sound much like any of the other supernatural happenings we’ve come across before,” he sighed. “Whatever it is I doubt it’ll be out here, far too exposed, we’ll be better off looking through the study room she mentioned.”

“Through there,” Charles indicated down the corridor. “She said stuff in the storage cupboard was being moved around as well.”

“This is the most banal haunting I’ve ever come across,” Edwin muttered as they headed out towards the corridor. “What self respecting ghost hangs around in storage rooms?”

Charles grinned and darted sideways, tugging Edwin along with him. “We do!” 

“Charles, what-!” Edwin’s surprised cry was cut off as Charles hauled him into the cupboard laughing and stumbling over a precarious stack of empty binders as he went.

The binders clattered to the floor and Charles turned to face Edwin smiling widely. His eyes flicked to a point over Edwin’s shoulder and the smile slipped and Edwin turned around just in time to see the door slam shut in his face.

“Oh fantastic,” Edwin said, rattling the handle. “Now we’re trapped in here. Very clever Charles.”

Charles rolled his eyes. “Not trapped are we?” 

Then he walked face first into the door.

“Ow.”

Edwin stared at him, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you’d have learnt after the first time.”

“I like the bitchy eyebrow less when it’s aimed at me.”

“Stop doing things that make it bitchy.”

“Noted,” Charles blinked to clear his vision. “Alright, so we’re trapped, not the end of the world is it? That girl will be along soon, or Crystal. Worse case someone will come in here for pens or something tomorrow. Could be worse.”

“Could be-,” Edwin bit off huffily. “ How could it be worse, Charles? We are stuck in a miniscule supply closet, in the dark, no one knows we’re here and there is very possibly some sort of demon on the loose.”

Charles shuffled around bumping into Edwin and the shelf and sending pens rattling to the floor, there was a click and then a dim yellow light suffused the room. “Not dark anymore.”

“Ugh.” Edwin just about restrained himself from stamping his foot. 

Charles just grinned widely at him. “Least it’s not that bog in Wales we got lost in. Dry and warm in here,” he leant in closer. “You could tell me what Crystal knows.

Edwin flushed. “Absolutely not. Besides I don’t know what she knows. She’s probably just exaggerating to embarrass me.”

Charles poked Edwin’s boot with his toe. “Don’t be mean, Crystal doesn’t lie to us anymore, and she wouldn’t do that.”

Edwin sighed, Charles’ point was fair and valid. “I’m still not telling you.”

Charles stepped closer, pressing up against Edwin’s chest and twisting so his hands could wrap around his waist. “I’m just going to have to convince you then,” he murmured.

Edwin inhaled sharply. “Charles…we are in a supply closet in a library,” he hissed. Although Charles noticed the odd hitch over the word library and smirked. 

“One track mind much? I was just going to tickle you.”

Edwin’s face changed to alarm immediately. “Char - No! -”

Grinning, Charles dug his fingers into Edwin’s narrow waist and braced himself as Edwin collapsed forward. “Gonna tell me?”

“No and also, I hate you.” Edwin mumbled into Charles’ coat.

Charles laughed and withdrew his fingers, smoothing over Edwin’s jacket and coat and letting the apologetic touch turn into a lazy affectionate one. “Keep your secrets, for now.”

There was a long, comfortable silence as Charles just held Edwin, still bonelessly curved into his chest, head resting on Charles’ shoulder. 

“What if you don’t like them?” Edwin spoke finally, so softly Charles almost missed it.

“What?”

“My…thoughts… about us. What if you don’t like them?”

Charles’s first instinct was to laugh and tell Edwin he was being stupid. But in the months they’d been together together he’d been trying harder to notice when Edwin was being honest and brave and open and needed the same back from Charles in place of his usual bravado. “Well,” he started slowly. “I can’t imagine much you could think of I wouldn’t like. But if it happens it’s okay yeah? We don’t need to like all the same stuff and maybe it’s like, not totally for me but if you like it I’ll like it too?”

“What if it’s really perverse?”

Charles took a minute to consider his response. “Well…is it?”

Edwin pulled back with a huff. “No. I don’t know. That’s the point. Maybe it’s normal these days. Or maybe it’s something weird and horrible and you’ll hate me.”

“Not possible,” Charles said confidently, smiling at him. Edwin still looked unsure. Charles frowned thinking for a minute. “How about…I go first?”

Edwin looked at him curiously. “First?”

“Sure, I mean I’ve got stuff going on up here too,” he tapped his head.

Edwin’s cheeks flushed like it hadn’t really occurred to him until this moment that he wasn’t the only one daydreaming about his new boyfriend.

“Like…that thing with your shoe. I really liked that…and I liked that you liked it.”

“That was embarrassing, having Crystal just…,” words failed him and he pursed his lips.

“The idea that you wanted to be marked by me…,” Charles shrugged. “Kinda hot.”

Edwin flushed. “I suppose I did like the idea, once it occurred to me that it wouldn’t just…fade as it had done previously.”

“See, we’re getting somewhere.”

Edwin shifted bumping into the shelf behind him.

“You alright?”

“Yes, just, uncomfortable, corporeal bodies have their inconveniences.”

Charles hummed in agreement. “Sure, but also…,” he leant in, pressing against Edwin, breath ghosting over his ear. “It’s got some benefits too.”

Edwin shuddered and his eyes fluttered closed as Charles slid a hand down to grasp at his arse.

“You know, all I could think when I was sucking you earlier was that anyone could walk in. See you all messed up…”

Edwin bit his lip to cut off the desperate noise his body kept threatening to release.

“Oh, you like that?” Charles leaned back, just enough to see Edwin’s face, pink and warm nodding. “I think that’s what Crystal saw you know, all I could think the entire time was how much I wanted her to walk in and see me on my knees…for you.”

“You want Crystal to watch?” Edwin's voice was a delightful mix of strung out and confused, like he couldn’t decide how he felt about that concept.

“Nah, not really. S’more about the risk innit? Or maybe showing you off a bit, so everyone knows I’m the only one that gets you like that.”  

“I suppose I can understand that. I -,” Edwin paused, shifting back and forth on his feet and swallowed. Charles waited patiently for him to carry on. “I…wanted Crystal to notice I think.”

Charles frowned for a minute. “Oh…your shoe?”

Edwin nodded. “When it happened though…it didn’t feel as good as I thought.”

Charles shrugged. “Yeah, fantasy’s are like that. But just cause it’s nice to talk about something doesn’t mean we have to really do it. Honestly, I think I’d be mortified if Crystal actually caught me with my dick out.” 

Edwin huffed out a tight laugh and Charles frowned, “you sure you’re okay? You’re being weird.”

Edwin rolled his eyes. “We’re in a locked cupboard discussing fornicating in front of one of our closest friends, how would you like me to act?”

Charles snorted. “Suppose that’s fair,” his hand squeezed gently and pulled Edwin closer to him. “Could stop discussing,” he murmured, catching Edwin’s lip and pulling it into his mouth. 

Edwin returned the kiss eagerly and Charles smiled into it. His hands drifted round from Edwin’s arse to pull at his shirt and he shifted them to push his leg in between Edwin’s. Groaning under his breath as he found the solid weight of Edwin’s arousal pressing back.

“Feels like you’re not that bothered by the cupboard, love,” he mumbled in between damp kisses, flexing his toes and pushing his thigh in harder.

Edwin broke off, pushing Charles back and backing into the shelf breathing heavily. “No! I- mmmn-,” Edwin hunched over, his face strained and pinched.

“‘Win?” Charles was looking worried now, hands pulled back and aiming to be non threatening and Edwin hated it was directed at him. 

“I’m sorry, just… not right now,”

“Of course,” Charles agreed readily. “If you don’t like something all you gotta do is say stop, you know that.”

“I don’t -,” he broke off again, clenching his jaw. “It’s not that.”

Charles frowned. “Edwin, come on mate, tell me what’s wrong.”

Edwin shook his head. “It’s humiliating.”

Charles looked him over consideringly. Edwin was gripping the shelf so hard his fingers had turned white, his feet still shifted uneasily scuffing back and forth on the floor and his face had taken on a deep pink hue.

“Oh,” he said, lips curling up in fond amusement as he realised. “Edwin, do you need a piss?”

“Charles!” Edwin hissed. “Must you be so…crude.”

Charles shrugged. “S’just nature innit? And it’s been a long time since we had to worry about that stuff,” he shuffled toward. “You don’t need to be embarrassed. It’s only me here.”

“That’s worse!” Edwin said, hands fluttering back and forth across his abdomen as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to clutch at it. “I…I don’t want to…,” he pursed his lips and lowered his tone. “ Wet myself in front of my … my beau.”

“Aw, first time you called me that.”

“Not the relevant part of my sentence Charles!”

“Is to me,” he replied cheerfully.

Edwin shot him an exasperated glare then let out a low whine and gave up trying to pretend he wasn’t desperately trying to hold it together.

Charles sighed and tugged him into his arms. “I’ll stop, ‘kay.”

Edwin nodded into his chest.

“Anything I can do to help?”

Edwin sighed. “No,” he fidgeted, shifting back and forth. “Maybe just talk, distract me.”

Charles hummed. “Kinda hard to think straight with you wriggling against me like that.” 

“I can’t help it,” Edwin tried to shift back.

Charles dropped his arms and tightened them around Edwin’s waist to stop him. “Didn’t say I minded.” 

“Charles…”

“Like seeing you all…squirmy. You’re always so put together ‘Win. Neat little school uniform, perfect posture and that cunty little eyebrow.”

“Charles!”

“Just own the cunty eyebrow Edwin, I love it.”

Edwin grumbled under his breath with no real heat and Charles leant down, nosing at his face until Edwin looked up at him. “Love you, yeah,” he pressed a kiss to the tip of Edwin’s nose, then bent his head to capture his lips.

Edwin sighed into it, some of the tension seeping out of him and his feet and knees finally stopped rocking back and forth. Charles smirked into the kiss. “Good distraction?”

Edwin hummed, eyes closed and hands clenched in Charles jacket pulling him close and tipping them backwards into the shelf at his back. 

“You gonna tell me what Crystal saw yet?”

Edwin bit his lip. “I -,” he swallowed. “I like when you hold me,” he whispered slowly.

“‘Kay. That’s pretty standard, I hold you all the time.”

“No…,” Edwin chewed on the lip. “I-I wanted you-,” his voice broke and he cleared his throat, then opened his eyes and looked up at Charles. “You were…strong and just…you- I just let you…”

“Ohh…,” Charles exhaled rapidly, piecing the fragments together.

“I’m- I’m sorry. I know you’re not like that! You’d never-,”

“I wouldn’t,” Charles interrupted. “Unless you want me to,” his tongue darted out, running along the edge of his bottom lip as he gazed down at Edwin. “Do you…want me to?” His voice was low and Charles wasn’t entirely sure he’d managed to say the words out loud until Edwin swallowed and nodded. 

The answer hung in the air for what seemed like far too long to Edwin, then Charles gripped his hips and gently twisted them. “Turn around.”

Edwin had already started complying before his brain caught up. “Wha-?”

“I can’t, what was it Crystal said? ‘Rail you into the ground’ in here,” Charles had followed Edwin and was pressed up against his back, lips grazing the edge of his ear. “But I kinda get the feeling that wasn’t the point so much.”

Edwin let out a strangled noise.

“You gonna be a good boy and let me do what I want?”

Edwin nodded.

Charles’ hand wrapped around his waist and pulled Edwin back flush into his chest. “Brills.”

Edwin gasped as Charles’ arm pressed into him. “Charles! That’s - I can’t - not -,” his legs were moving again, knees bent and spine curved in an attempt to fold in on himself. Charles’s arm kept him upright.

“Shh, it’s fine, just keep wriggling up against me yeah?” Charles canted his hips into Edwin.

Edwin let out a breathy noise as Charles’s obvious enjoyment of Edwin’s predicament slid roughly over his arse. “You-, you’re…?”

“I told you,” Charles ran his hand across the waistband of Edwin’s trousers, fingers finding the stiff buttons easily and twisting them until they slid free and the thick cotton parted. “Not a single part of you I don’t love,” his fingers pressed into Edwin’s stomach deliberately.

Edwin groaned. “Fucking hell. Charles!” His hand dropped from the shelf to cover Charles’ and grip it tightly. “I’m…I’m going to…please!”

“Shhh, s’ok if you do, I don’t mind. But you won’t, will you?” Charles’ hand dipped, following the soft trail of hair downwards into the buttoned up pants Edwin was wearing until his hand was wrapped around Edwin’s cock. “You ever tried pissing with a hard-on? Fucking tricky love.” Charles said, almost conversationally as he squeezed gently.

Edwin let out a choked moan, “Charles…”

“Hold onto the shelf, love,” Charles murmured, smiling into the curve of Edwin’s neck when he obeyed immediately. “Good boy.”

Edwin’s head dropped, forehead hitting the edge of the shelf in front of him. One of Charles’ hands was still wrapped firmly around his cock, the other had slipped down and Edwin felt it trail over his skin and come to rest lightly over the band of his pants. Charles pushed gently and Edwin saw white behind his eyes as all his muscles contracted in an effort to force dominance over a bodily function he’d not had to contend with for over a century.

“Look at you.” Charles was still speaking, close to his ear so he could feel his warm, damp breath. “God ‘Win, d’you know how fucking brills it is to know I’m doing this to you? That I’m the one making you lose that uptight posh boy thing you’ve got going on.” His hand moved faster, slick now, each stroke knocking gently into the hand pressed against Edwin.

Edwin gripped the shelf harder, his knuckles turning white. He’d given up on trying to keep his hips still and they rocked back and forth into Charles’. His toes curled up in his shoes and he forced them to relax out, taking deep shaky breaths and willing his body to listen to him. 

It seemed far more interested in what Charles had to say to it though. The familiar low burn building inside him, competing for and mingling with the tight and urgent scream of his freshly corporeal bladder. Neither helped by the warm, rough press of Charles fingers into and around him. 

Charles groaned into his ear, a long deep sound that sent shivers down Edwin’s spine as the weight across his back increased. “I can feel your arse clenching,” Charles murmured in his ear. “You close to coming? Or to letting go?”

Edwin didn’t know, everything was tangled up. The heat of Charles’ hand on his cock, stroking firmly and evenly as his fingers danced across the tight skin between his hips, alternating between feather light touches and rolling presses that lit up inside him. He nodded frantically.

Charles let out another noise, strangled and his hand shook. “Fuck, I wanna see that, feel it, yeah? You can do that? For me?”

Edwin felt the dim twist of embarrassment spark up again, mortification at not only the very idea he’d been caught unawares by something so basic as the need to urinate but also at Charles witnessing it. But Charles was panting in his ear and thumbing over the head of his cock, palm getting slicker by the second and Charles wanted and what Charles wanted Edwin wanted.

Edwin nodded.

“Fuck, love you so much.” Charles’s voice had taken on a familiar wrung out note and Edwin realised he was teetering on the edge as well. Despite not being touched, or even undressed. That final thought, that Charles was being driven over the edge by this, was all he needed.

“Charles!” Edwin cried as his fingers bent the metal edging on the shelf and his legs trembled underneath him. Charles’s fingers dug in, pushing against the burning pressure inside him as his muscles tensed and finally released almost against his will. He felt his cock pulse and a wave of pleasure wash over him. Charles groaned in his ear and tightened his hold, wrapping himself around Edwin as much as the cupboard would allow.

“Charles, I - I -,” Edwin sobbed as he came, tension flooding out of his muscles as his orgasm forcibly relaxed everything he had been holding together. “Oh - oh God - I-,” he felt the first warm trickle soak into his pants. The relief barely distinguishable from the lingering spark of coming, hard, into Charles’s hand.

“S’ok.” Charles’s voice was heavy and sluggish but there was no mistaking the deliberate pressure of Charles’s hand on him as the other gently stroked his softening cock paying no heed to the wet smear of mixed liquids over his hand.

Edwin let out a desperate noise, tried helplessly to wrestle his body back under his control and gave up with a quiet whine as Charles rolled his fingers over Edwin’s skin, massaging it in broad round circles and whispering encouragement in his ear. 

He gave up entirely, bonelessly collapsing into Charles’ arms, a sharp exhale of air the only sign the other boy had been caught by surprise and let his body do what it had been screaming at him about for the last hour.

Charles lowered them to the floor, knees bent and tangled up in the cramped space. He made no attempt to move his hands out of Edwin’s pants, the hard roll of his fingers giving way to soft petting strokes as Edwin moaned softly, eyes closed and head lax on Charles’ shoulder.

“Beautiful,” Charles murmured. “Look at you all messy and relaxed.”

Distantly Edwin recognised he should complain, he should complain about the damp rapidly spreading through his cotton pants and cooling. He should complain about the tacky mess drying in the front of them. He should apologise for his utter lack of self control, and move him and the terrible mess he’s made away from Charles.

Charles’ arms tightened around him as if the other boy could tell what he was thinking.

Edwin just smiled softly instead, head still hazy and slow, body still shivering, muscles lax and heavy. 

“Successfully distracted, yeah?” Charles murmured above him.

Edwin let out a snort, “hardly, you caused the thing you were trying to prevent.”

Charles hummed. “I wasn’t really trying that hard to be honest.”

Edwin chewed his lip. “You’re not…disgusted?”

Charles finally pulled his hands back and out of Edwin’s trousers, wrapping his arms firmly around the boy's shoulders and squeezing him. “That. Was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said firmly. “I mean, look, I came in my pants ‘Win. Didn’t even have chance to properly get going before I was gone, just feeling you wriggling about and knowing you were all…desperate and shit - ugnh.” Charles cut himself off with a satisfied noise.

Edwin tilted his head and pressed a kiss to the soft underside of his jaw, settling back against Charles’ chest. He pulled a face as the cold, wet material of his trousers dragged over his skin. “The aftermath isn’t quite as fun.”

Charles laughed. “Yeah, can’t argue the ghostly disappearing act has its upsides.”

Edwin sighed. “I don’t relish the conversation we’ll have to have with Crystal once she finds us either.”

Charles squeezed him. “She’ll understand. I mean, probably leave out the sex stuff.”

“Yes, obviously.”

“I can hear your eyebrow, Edwin.”

Edwin elbowed him lightly, letting out a huff of laughter that Charles returned easily. 

“You know, maybe once we’ve dealt with this whole situation, we could take the rings back to London for a bit, lock the office door, there’s a corner shop downstairs, bet it sells all sorts of fun drinks.” Charles' tone was carefully casual.

“You’d want to…I mean..deliberately?” 

Charles nodded against his head. “Could fill you right up, see how long you can last?”

Edwin shuddered. “I am… not opposed,” he felt Charles relax and smile into his cheek. “Wait.” Edwin leant forward and twisted to look at Charles who was staring back apprehensively.

“Or not, we don’t - it’s -,”

“No, not that! We can do that, the rings Charles!” Edwin held up his hand and Charles frowned at him confused.

“What about them?”

“Fuck, I’m so stupid. I was so focussed on not…not-,” Edwin flushed. “You know, anyway, I forgot why it was even a problem in the first place.” He slipped the ring off his fingers and his body shimmered back into non-corporeality. He glanced down. “Well that’s certainly an added bonus,” he noted absently as his clothes slid back into their typical arrangement — dry and buttoned up. 

“Oh fuck,” Charles slapped a hand over his face. “Of course,” he scrambled to his feet and dragged Edwin up with him, slipping his ring off and holding out his hand for Edwin’s. “I’ll keep em safe yeah? Not done with these yet.” 

Edwin turned it over in his fingers then looked up at Charles, smirking. “Decidedly not.”