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If he's honest, Charles can admit he feels a bit smug watching Edwin and Crystal have what might be their first categorically positive interaction. He might even call it friendly, if he were being generous, and also squinting a little. He knew if he was patient enough, they would eventually start getting along - and yeah, maybe the forest elemental gave them a bit of a push, but Charles is not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially not one literally named Teeth Face.

He watches Crystal head out of the apartment to check on Niko, still thinking triumphant thoughts, until Edwin timidly breaks the easy silence between them. "Charles?"

"Yeah, mate." He looks over at where Edwin is standing across the room, hands folded together in that anxious way Charles has learned to spot. He supposes they're both still feeling a bit jittery after the relieved high of having survived the night (even if he's definitely gonna need Crystal to explain how it all shook out a couple more times). Now that it's just him and Edwin alone, though, Charles can already feel himself settling back to baseline.

But Edwin is clearly still wound up about something. "I, um… find myself…" He takes a breath he doesn't need and starts again. "It's very unusual for me to—"

"Apologize?" Charles teases. "I know." He glances amusedly back at the door Crystal left through - despite today's progress, it remains a wonder to him that neither she nor Edwin seem to realize just how alike they are. "I'm still gobsmacked at that one, mate."

"No," Edwin says quickly, then looks a little flustered about it. "Not that. Listen."

He seems to falter there for a second, looking down and back up, hesitant in a way Charles can't help smiling at. He's so used to Edwin being decisive and self-assured, it's sort of endearing when he gets like this instead, rare as it is.

Finally Edwin takes another breath and meets his eye again. "Monty unearthed some—" he wavers on the word for just a moment— "feelings, within me."

It suddenly dawns on Charles what Edwin must be trying to say, between the nervous ditherings. "Oi," he cuts in gently. "You could've told me you liked him."

Of course it's about Monty. Charles really should've put it together sooner. He may have turned out to be a crow, not to mention a spy for the witch, but for a while there Edwin really did seem quite taken with him. And it's hardly the worst thing anyone's ever done, crushing on a crow - good riddance overall, of course, but Charles can at least assure Edwin that he didn't do anything wrong.

"So this is why you dressed up nice today," he says lightly, crossing the room to Edwin's side. Edwin looks a little wary, but he lets Charles come close and doesn't shy away when he reaches out to take him by the shoulders. Once they lock eyes, Charles tries to project as much affection and surety as he can into a single look. "Don't matter one bit to me."

Edwin feels warm under his palms, even through the sweater, and Charles can almost feel the weight coming off as Edwin manages to smile back at him. Charles feels lighter too, somehow - after days of agonizing about Edwin not trusting him, about being unable to keep his one constant of the past thirty years from drifting away from his side, they finally seem to be back on even footing. Charles sort of wishes it didn't take a brush with total obliteration to get them here, but he'll take what he can get.

Then something rather troubling occurs to him. "This is why you've been acting so cagey about the Cat King, isn't it?" Charles asks, frowning as the pieces come together. "Has he been trying to get frisky with you?" The thought sparks something hot and sharply protective inside him, and he raises a fist only somewhat jokingly. "'Cause I'll knock his whiskers off his little face, if so."

Edwin chuckles and puts his hand over Charles' to lower it. "Thank you," he says, sounding genuine enough that Charles grins - but Edwin's amusement fades as he looks down at his wrist, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater where Charles knows the Cat King's bracelet is hidden. "It's… not as simple as that."

He takes another breath, and when he meets Charles' eyes again, he doesn't look as tense or uncertain as before - and from this close to him, it's hard to miss the warmth in Edwin's gaze. He's still a little nervous though, and Charles waits, patient but curious, as Edwin works himself up to whatever it is he wants to say. "I've been realizing that I—"

A loud and forlorn meow cuts him off, and they both turn to see a fluffy grey cat at the nearest window, batting at the glass from the ledge outside. Charles scowls at it. "Oh, speak of the bloody devil." It must be a herald from the Cat King - how the poor creature got all the way up here is beyond Charles, but he can't quite manage to feel sympathetic. At this point, if he never sees another cat again it'll be too soon.

He turns back to Edwin, glad to find him looking about as annoyed as he feels. "What's His Majesty want now?"

"If I had to guess," Edwin says dryly, as the grey cat gives another muffled yowl, "I'd say I'm being summoned for an audience."

There's a reluctant twist to his mouth that Charles doesn't like. He reaches out for Edwin's shoulder again, turning him back from the window. "Let's just ignore it, yeah? What were you saying?"

Edwin hesitates, but when the cat scrabbles at the window pane again he shakes his head with a sigh. "No, disregarding him would only cause more trouble. Best to get it over with."

He slips away to head for the door, but Charles is right on his heels. "Right, well, Crystal should be back in just a tick—"

"It needn't be a whole production, Charles," Edwin scoffs over his shoulder. "I can handle it."

"Well, I'm coming with you."

Edwin immediately turns to frown at him, but Charles stares steadily back, ready to be as stubborn as he needs to be. After their run in with Esther and Teeth Face, he's not exactly enthusiastic to let Edwin out of his sight - and to see the stupid Cat King, of all people? There's no way Charles is letting him go alone.

"He sent his furry little messenger here to the agency, so it's agency business now," he says, crossing his arms. "Gotta present a united front and all that, haven't we?"

It takes a long moment, and some argumentative eyebrow raising, but eventually Edwin relents. "I suppose it's not a terrible idea to have backup," he says, only a little bit grudging - progress, as far as Charles is concerned. It helps that any further discussion is cut short by another desolate yowl filtering through the window, making them both wince.

"Let's head out then, shall we?" Edwin suggests, moving toward the door again. "Before the girls return and accuse us of torturing the poor animal."

"Sure, mate, but—" Charles reaches out to catch his arm, meeting Edwin's impatient look with a small smile. "We'll talk later, yeah?" Whatever else it was that Edwin wanted to say, he's still determined to hear it. Curiosity is kind of gnawing at him, actually, but he can fend it off for just a little longer, for Edwin's sake. Just until they're alone again.

Edwin looks surprised at first, but as he nods his gaze goes warm like it did before, and that more than anything reassures Charles enough to loosen his grip and follow him through the door.

The pier is only a short walk from Jenny's shop, so they take a shortcut through the back wall and set off down the street, their gloves and jackets appearing more out of habit than any real need. Charles is pleased to see that Edwin has kept his nice teal jumper underneath instead of switching back to his usual bowtie number.

He was a little surprised at the change when he first noticed yesterday, mostly because of how particular Edwin usually is about all his layers when they're anywhere other than the office. Of course, it makes a bit more sense now, knowing about the Monty thing, the feelings he apparently unearthed - Charles just hopes Edwin knows how sincere he was about it not mattering. He's glad to know, more than anything, glad to have the dots connected, because—well, it kind of worried him, how secretive Edwin was being.

It makes a lot more sense now - but Charles can't help noticing the troubling parallel it draws to the Cat King, and how weirdly reticent Edwin has been about him. And, considering the current situation, his being summoned and all… It makes Charles feel fairly justified in his insistence on coming along. He really was mostly kidding about the whiskers thing earlier, but he's prepared to amend that stance if the opportunity arises.

"So, what d'you think this is about, anyway?" he asks as they turn a corner, trying hard to sound casual. "The royal summons, I mean?"

"I'm not sure," Edwin admits. "The Cat King and I—well, we didn't leave things on an especially… friendly note, last we met."

"Oh?" Charles tries not to bristle too obviously. "And when was that?"

"Last night," Edwin says, after a second of hesitation. "In the Tall Forest. It was actually he who revealed that Monty had been lying to us."

"Really?" Damn. Charles hopes that doesn't mean he has to start being nice to the stupid cat. Still, he tries to be diplomatic. "Helpful of him, I guess?"

"Hardly," Edwin scoffs, suddenly haughty. "I have no doubt his main goal was to cause drama." Charles raises a teasing eyebrow at his word choice, almost certainly a Crystal-ism he's picked up, but Edwin barrels on. "And then he had the audacity to ask me for—well." He glances at Charles and away again, then huffs out a breath. "It doesn't matter. He thought I'd be much more grateful, is the point, and I told him quite firmly that I do not need his help or the strings that are inevitably attached."

Charles almost stops in his tracks. "You told the Cat King to fuck off?" The mental image is glorious. He feels invigorated just thinking about it. Edwin looks a little embarrassed, but at Charles' clear elation he can't seem to help a small smile.

"I didn't use those exact words," he says, lifting his chin slightly, "but I made it clear that I had no interest in being treated like his… his toy any longer."

"Brills," Charles laughs out, feeling light and viciously proud. He's seen Edwin deliver a verbal smackdown or two over the past couple decades, and he's sure this one must've been scathing. "Wish I could've seen that."

Edwin's pleased little smile doesn't last nearly long enough before it melts back into a worried frown. "Yes, well… I might not have done us a favour." He looks down the empty street ahead with enough apprehension that Charles sobers a bit, reluctantly pushing his vindication aside for the moment. "In light of how we parted, I've really no idea what he's summoned us for."

"Could be a trap," Charles muses, glancing around for any sight of furry pursuers. No leering eyes or twitching tails that he can see, but that's hardly an assurance. "Though that'd be kind of obvious, wouldn't it? Seems a little too—"

"Straightforward?" Edwin finishes wryly. "Yes, I think so too. He has a fondness for games."

Charles can't help rolling his eyes. "Right. Well, what else could it be? Not just a friendly chat, I imagine."

"It seems equally unlikely to be an olive branch," Edwin sighs, brow furrowing. "He really was rather upset at how I dismissed him in the forest." He looks troubled now, absently pressing his gloved knuckles together - Charles frowns at the sight, and steps a little closer to nudge Edwin's shoulder with his own.

"Whatever it is, we can handle it," he says when Edwin glances at him, grinning with just a bit more confidence than he feels. "You know, there's two of us and only one of him."

"Not counting however many cats there are in Port Townsend," Edwin points out flatly, "all of which we must assume are at his disposal. And the fact that the Cat King also has what could be considerably formidable magic, if he used it for anything more than party tricks."

Charles waves that away. "Look, if he tries anything, I'll just grab him by the scruff, yeah?"

Edwin huffs out a surprised laugh, like he couldn't help imagining it. "I should very much like to see you try," he says, sounding grateful - and if the pier didn't come into sight at just that moment, Charles thinks he would've suggested they just turn around, royal summons be damned.

Just like their first visit, an unsettlingly large crowd of cats is waiting to lead them into the cannery. Charles barely makes it to double digits before their yowling throws off his count, and even Edwin gives up murmuring numbers to himself once the furry sea starts shifting around them, parting to reveal the path forward.

"Think the welcoming committee is a good sign?" Charles asks lightly, glancing over his shoulder to see that—yep, the cats have moved to close off their exit, keeping them from turning back. "Bit of an ominous red carpet, isn't it?"

"It is a little odd that he would set up this whole procession," Edwin says, stepping carefully over a black cat trying to wind around his ankles. "Though I suppose he's never had any qualms about wasting our time. The return to formality is likely meant to suggest we remember who we're talking to."

Charles feels a prickle of annoyance at the reminder that the Cat King has met up with Edwin informally in the past - at least twice, counting that first time when he whisked Edwin away into the shadows of the cannery. And considering the way Edwin's been ducking his questions about both of those meetings, there might have been even more than that.

But now's not the time to press him about it, not when Edwin is clearly trying to keep the wariness out of his expression as they cross into the dark beyond the threshold. Charles buries the frustration as best he can for the moment and sidles a little closer to Edwin, hoping his presence can soothe some of his friend's nerves. "Well, likewise for him, yeah? He'd better remember who he's talking to."

Edwin manages a smile, just exasperated enough that it must be real. "I'd appreciate your sincerest attempt at diplomacy regardless, Charles."

Before Charles can scoff in mock-offense, a bright, warm light flicks on ahead of them. It illuminates the scattered cans and raised platform with the boxy throne on top that Charles remembers from their first trip to the warehouse, as well as the Cat King himself, lounging in his seat with his chin propped on his fist.

"So you do still come when I call." He bats his eyes at Edwin, near-glittering under the spotlight. He looks much the same as he did that first time, all golden leer and annoyingly put-on boredom. There's an almost stormy air about him though, a palpable bad mood that has the other cats nearby prowling nervously back and forth. Even his mean smirk isn't quite sharp enough to be believable. Charles imagines him scrambling to look so carefully poised in the seconds before the lights came on and has to quash a smug grin. Edwin must've really told him off.

Of course, it's right as he's thinking this that the Cat King's gaze shifts over to him and narrows in distaste. "Huh. I don't remember including a plus-one on your invitation."

Charles scowls back at him reflexively, but Edwin takes a step forward and the cat's attention follows.

"I figured we at least owed you a conversation, after your assistance yesterday," Edwin explains placatingly. "Without your help in revealing the witch's trap, the night might have ended… rather differently." Charles is a little surprised at how thick he's laying it on, after how indignant he was about the cat's 'help' on the way over - but then again, it's probably smart to play nice if they don't want to end up as scratching posts.

And the Cat King certainly seems taken in by it, his aloof expression slipping to reveal a bit of real hurt. "You didn't seem very grateful at the time," he says, almost petulant.

Is this all he wanted, just Edwin's admittance that he did them a favour? Some of the cats nearby start muttering - Charles hears a quietly mordant here we go again before a sharp look from the Cat King sends the guilty tabby skittering away into the shadows.

"You're right," Edwin says as the Cat King's gaze settles on him again. "And I… I apologize for not showing my gratitude earlier. It was rude of me." And if the second apology of the day wasn't unexpected enough, Charles gets another shock as he watches Edwin bow his head. At least the cat seems equally thrown by it.

"You helped us a great deal," Edwin says as he straightens. "Thank you."

The Cat King actually looks unsure for a moment, caught between his usual self-satisfaction and whatever else Edwin's performance seems to have drawn out from underneath. Charles can't decide if he's more in awe of how easily Edwin has played him, or bothered by the almost demure way he's gone about it. Knowing what people want to hear isn't usually Edwin's forte, to put it mildly, and yet Charles can practically see the Cat King's mood brightening. Another hot spark of protectiveness flares up in his chest as he wonders, for what feels like the thousandth time, what exactly happened between Edwin and the Cat King while he wasn't around.

"Ugh, fine," the cat says eventually, rolling his eyes and definitely preening a little. "Apology accepted. But don't think you're entirely off the hook just because you're being cute."

Charles and Edwin share a wary glance as the cat rises from his throne with a single lithe movement. "Look," he sighs, put-upon once more, "I'll be honest - when I said I was done playing nice, I meant it." He approaches the edge of the platform to stand in front of Edwin, looking down at him in an appraising way that makes Charles itch. "Or I thought I did. You really know how to mess with a guy's head."

The slow grin that spreads across the cat's face isn't really all that threatening, but Charles feels compelled to step just a little closer to Edwin's side anyway. The Cat King notices and sneers at him, unimpressed. "Oh, relax, Rover. No need to get so worked up." He rolls his eyes again and turns to prowl back to his throne. "All I'm saying is, I've thought about it, and I don't think the situationship thing is a good look for either of us."

Edwin's brow furrows, mouthing the foreign word to himself before he shoots Charles a confused look, but Charles can only shrug back at him. They'll have to ask Crystal about that one.

"So," the Cat King goes on, spinning on his heel to face them again, "let's cut our losses, huh? I'll even take my bracelet back, just so there's no chance of us awkwardly running into each other at the mall, or whatever. Call it a parting gift."

"Oh," Edwin says in surprise, one hand reflexively going to his wrist. "You'd… do that?"

"Sure, why not?" the cat says with an easy shrug. It seems suspicious to Charles, too good to be true - and of course, the cat proves him right a second later. "All I ask is that you leave me a parting gift in return."

"What kind of gift?" Charles asks, letting it sound as skeptical as he feels.

"Oh, I don't know," the Cat King says airily, waving a glittering hand. "Something of equal or greater entertainment value?" He gives them only about half a second of hesitation before he heaves an impatient sigh. "I thought this would be simple. Am I misremembering how eager you were to get the fuck out of dodge?"

Edwin lifts his chin, straightening up into detective mode. "Why now?" he asks. "You've been content to play games up to this point."

The Cat King gives him another near-petulant look, teeth bared. "What can I say? One of my toys bit back."

Charles doesn't quite manage to keep the smugly proud smile off his face, even when the cat glares at him for it. "Look," the Cat King says tightly, turning back to Edwin. "Can your guard poodle give us a minute?"

Bristling, Charles opens his mouth to object, but Edwin cuts him off with a placating look. "It's the simplest way to determine the truth of his offer," he murmurs. "We must find out if he really means to take the bracelet off, or if this is just another trick." He absently touches his wrist again and Charles follows the movement with his eyes, feeling torn - but when he glances back up, Edwin's smile is small but knowing. "I'll be fine, Charles," he assures him quietly. "He won't do anything untoward with you here."

That wasn't exactly true the last time they let the Cat King call the shots, but Charles would really like to believe that his presence is some sort of deterrent, and Edwin seems sure enough. He relents with a nod, trying his best not to let his worry show as Edwin turns away to step up onto the platform where the cat is waiting.

The cat looks right past him though, fixing Charles with a somewhat troubling look of interest instead. Charles doesn't have much of a chance to react before it melts into a smile, all fangs, and the cat spins a gold-adorned finger at him. "A little privacy, if you'd be so kind."

Charles seethes, but fights through the indignance for Edwin's sake and obediently turns around so his back is to them. It's childish, almost definitely meant more to piss him off than anything else - and it has, for the record - but if it means the Cat King isn't spiriting Edwin away for hours like last time, Charles can put up with it.

He can hear snatches of their murmured conversation behind him, though he's too busy counting down exactly sixty seconds in his head to pay much attention - until he hears his name come up, hissed through Edwin's teeth.

"Charles is not part of this."

"Okay, you're the jealous type, I get it," the cat snickers. There's a brief pause, then: "How about a secret?"

Edwin scoffs quietly. "I hardly think—"

"Indulge me." Another pause, this one long enough that Charles can't resist the urge to peek. Edwin is facing away from him, but over his shoulder Charles has a great angle on the Cat King's knowing smirk. "Come on, just something to remember you by."

He watches Edwin's shoulders lift as he huffs. "You seem to have something specific in mind."

The Cat King's smirk widens to show teeth. "I think we both do. And you know I can make it easy for you." He lifts a hand and waggles his fingers suggestively - though suggestive of what, Charles isn't exactly sure. "It felt good to be honest, didn't it?"

Edwin hesitates for long enough that the Cat King drops his arm with a little shrug. "I just want to hear you say it. You told Monty, didn't you?"

"No," Edwin says, quiet enough that Charles almost takes a step closer. "He… inferred."

The Cat King raises his eyebrows in delighted surprise. "Ooh, so it really is a secret. Even better."

Charles thinks he might have actually been less confused when he couldn't see what was going on. He watches as Edwin's spine goes a little more rigid, his voice sharpening. "I told you I'm not your plaything—"

"You also told me the bracelet is all that matters," the Cat King tosses back easily. "Here's your chance to remove it. It's a trade. It has to cost you something."

His gaze shifts suddenly onto Charles again, too quick for him to pretend he wasn't eavesdropping. It comes to him then that the cat probably noticed the very moment he started listening in, but of course it's a little too late to do anything about it now. The Cat King's look of delight sharpens into an amused leer, and before Charles can react he takes a step right into Edwin's personal space.

"Of course, I'll take a different payment method if you really want," he drawls, leaning close in a way that sends a spike of alarm through Charles' whole body.

"Hey!" he calls out before he can think better of it - and he probably should have, because once Edwin spins to face him, he realizes he has nothing to follow it with. "Er—time's up, yeah?" he says weakly.

Edwin gives him a chiding sort of look. Over his shoulder, the Cat King just grins.

"Hey, Charles, you've heard what went down with Monty, right?" the cat asks, voice low like he's sharing gossip. "You know, the crow-turned-twink dreamboat? Did Edwin tell you about that?"

Charles narrows his eyes, unsure what he's trying to prove by asking something so obvious. "Of course he did."

"Right, of course," the cat says, nodding along as he strolls to the edge of the platform. "I mean, he was cute, but mommy issues off the charts, am I right?" He flashes an innocent smile at Edwin. "Plus, to get so wound up over your botched playground date that he'd lead you all into a psychedelic deathtrap—"

"Wait," Charles cuts in, feeling like he's missed a step. "You went on a date?" A date with Monty, a date that somehow led to Monty betraying them? He looks to Edwin for some sign that the cat is joking, playing another trick, but Edwin looks caught - more than that, he looks… flustered.

The Cat King gives a mocking gasp, making no attempt to hide his glee. "Oh, sorry, is that news to you? And here I thought you two shared everything."

Charles tries to ignore him, but—well, he kind of thought the same thing, especially after their conversation this morning. He was so pleased that Edwin was trusting him again, so sure that they were on their way back to normal, and now it seems like they might be even further off-course than he thought. He pushes down a pang of hurt and steps closer to the platform, trying to catch Edwin's eye. "Edwin, what's he talking about?"

But Edwin won't look at him for longer than a fleeting second, too busy glaring at the Cat King instead. The cat returns the look with a simpering smile. "Aw, trouble in paradise? I can help with that."

He suddenly reaches out, and several things happen at once - Charles lurches forward almost before he knows what he's doing, expecting a flash of claws that never comes; the aborted movement is enough to finally catch and hold Edwin's gaze on him; and in that breath where their eyes lock, the Cat King swipes a gentle finger across Edwin's lips, leaving a glowing golden streak.

"Go on then," the cat says, all fangs once again. "Tell him."

Before Charles can react, before he can even look away, Edwin does. "Monty and I met up one night, before the Tall Forest," he says. "We went to a park with a swingset and while we were talking, he kissed me."

As if he weren't already completely fucking lost, fresh bewilderment crashes over Charles like a blow to the head. Not ten seconds ago Edwin didn't seem like he wanted to talk about this at all, and now he's blasting through it matter-of-factly, like it hardly matters - and they kissed? Edwin and Monty kissed?

"I told him I didn't reciprocate his feelings," Edwin goes on, "and he took it badly. When he tricked us into investigating the Tall Forest, it was partially to get back at me for that."

"That's why he was acting so weird when he told us about Gladys?" Charles asks, still reeling. "He was mad that you didn't like him back?"

"Yes," Edwin answers, and for a moment it seems so intoxicatingly easy - Charles knows, dimly, that something is wrong here, but it's all but blown out of the water by the unexpected rush that comes with having his questions answered, with knowing exactly what Edwin has been hiding—

Then Edwin's expression twists into something distraught, and Charles comes back to himself with a near painful jolt. "Edwin, what's—?"

"Stop," Edwin cuts him off, sharp and panicky. "Stop asking me—" He doesn't finish, but Charles' mouth snaps shut anyway, the frantic order echoing sickly in his ears. What has he done?

Edwin takes a breath and seems to get a grip on himself, then whirls on the Cat King - looking quite furious, actually, but Charles can barely even enjoy it with his lips clamped guiltily together. Whatever the Cat King did, whatever the glowing line of magic means, however good it felt to know—if it makes Edwin sound like that, Charles has got to fix it.

"Alright, you've had your fun," Edwin huffs. "Now kindly remove it."

The Cat King grins back at him, completely unfazed. "I don't think I will, actually," he says cheerfully. "Seems like your communication skills could use some work."

Edwin glances at Charles and away again, then visibly swallows his pride. "Please."

"Ooh," the Cat King sighs out, leering at him. "I could get used to that." Charles' temper flares, but before he can push through the sick feeling keeping his teeth locked together, the Cat King turns away with a huff.

"Foul play when I'm supposed to be mad at you, though. Tell you what—" With a snap of his fingers, the bracelet slips from Edwin's sleeve and falls to the floor with a dull clunk. Edwin and Charles both stare at it, dumbfounded. "That was a secret you told, after all. So we're even."

Edwin's head snaps up. "But you can't just—"

"I totally can," the Cat King says with an unapologetic little grimace. "Besides, you two clearly have a lot to talk about." He takes an exaggerated step back, hands raised innocently - then shoots Charles an infuriating wink. "Have fun for me, okay?"

With that, he disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an orange cat who barely spares them each a glance before leaping off the platform and scampering off into the shadows. The rest of the surrounding cats follow suit now that the show appears to be over, and within a few seconds Charles finds himself and Edwin alone in the warehouse with only the tinny sound of a few empty cans quietly rolling to a stop.

"Damn," Edwin grumbles to himself, closing his eyes. Charles wants to reassure him, like he's supposed to in situations like this - but the magic streak glowing on Edwin's mouth makes him hesitate, his ears still ringing with the panic he heard in Edwin's voice. He's still not sure what really happened, if he hurt Edwin somehow, or if the stupid cat did, or how to avoid repeating the mistake.

Luckily, Edwin seems to know just what he's thinking. "I didn't say you couldn't speak at all, Charles," he sighs, opening his eyes to step down from the platform and join Charles on the ground. "Just try to avoid asking me questions."

"Um—" Why is on the tip of Charles' tongue, but he manages to stop it there, just barely. "Right, just—all I've really got are questions, mate."

Edwin looks pretty annoyed, which isn't much of a surprise, but also embarrassed, which kind of is - until Charles remembers that Edwin did just admit to kissing Monty in front of both him and the Cat King, neither of whom he seemed ecstatic about telling. Which of course makes Charles wonder why Edwin was so forthcoming with the information all of a sudden - but he can't just ask something like that, not while Edwin still looks so rattled about it.

He does risk taking a step closer though, and it pays off when Edwin immediately tilts toward him, the tight line of his shoulders already loosening. Still, Charles takes an extra few seconds just to check over his words before he lets them out. "Just tell me how worried I should be."

Edwin's gaze softens a little. "Not very. Not at all, really. This spell is just…" He sighs, frustration furrowing his brow. "It's incredibly inconvenient, is all, and I should've seen it coming."

Again, Charles bites down on the urge to ask why. If Edwin notices he doesn't show it, turning away to glance around the empty warehouse with a frown. It's almost eerily quiet now, without all the cats. "No need to remain here any longer, I suppose," he says briskly, turning to Charles again. "Let's head back."

Charles brightens at that - surely everything will make more sense once they get out of here. "Sounds brills, mate," he sighs out, then remembers there's still at least one upside to this whole situation. "But d'you mean—uh..."

He pauses there, his frazzled brain completely blanking on how to say it without asking it. A long moment passes during which he can practically feel Edwin's patience thinning, until he finally gives up and reaches out to take Edwin's hand instead, lifting his arm to reveal his now-bare wrist. Edwin's eyes light up the moment it clicks, and when he finally smiles, even the streak of magic struck through it doesn't diminish Charles' relief.

They still decide to head back to Crystal's first, though, to let her and Niko know what's happened. Charles knows Edwin would probably love to jump through the first mirror they come across to get back to London - and honestly, he wouldn't put up too much of a fight himself - but they both agree without needing to discuss it that their friends get priority. Besides, Charles figures, he and Edwin have already waited this long to get home. A little longer just to walk back to town won't hurt.

During the walk though, Charles keeps catching himself staring at Edwin's mouth. The golden spell seems to draw his eye like a magnet, though he's unsure what he's really looking for - maybe some variance in the glow, if it's getting any dimmer, if the magic could be wearing off? But based on the Cat King's mischievous glee, it doesn't seem likely he'd half-ass the casting, and Edwin did mention earlier just how powerful the cat's magic could be.

Part of the problem is that Charles isn't entirely sure what the spell really does. The Cat King said something about secrets, and Edwin told him to avoid questions, but those aren't exactly clear parameters. There could be even more to it. He wants to ask Edwin if he's seen anything similar in any of their spellbooks, but asking is obviously off the table for the moment - plus, Edwin has kept his mouth clamped tightly shut since they left the warehouse. Charles doesn't need to ask to figure out what that means.

He wishes there was an easy way to tell him that he doesn't have to worry. He can't imagine there's anything Edwin could possibly say that would change anything between them - he tried to give him that assurance this morning, but maybe he wasn't clear enough. And then the stupid cat messenger showed up with the stupid royal summons, and now here they are, going up the stairs to Crystal's apartment with no idea how they're going to explain what happened.

Well, Charles has no idea. He hopes that maybe Edwin has a plan.

It turns out Edwin's plan is to let Charles explain while he hangs back a step and pretends to be very interested in his boots. Both Crystal and Niko are more than a little frantic when they first come through the door, and there's more yelling than Charles expects, though he can understand where they're coming from. That time Edwin disappeared from under his nose only to come back later saying he'd been with the Cat King, Charles wasn't exactly cool and collected about it, either.

He and Edwin really should've left them a note or something, come to think of it, or literally any indication that they hadn't just vanished into the ether. Especially after how close they came to worse-than-death the night before. Charles concedes the point to both of the girls several times over at varying volumes before he can get an actual explanatory word in edgewise.

"Look, there's good news and bad news, yeah?" he says, cutting right to the point as soon as he's able. "Good news is, Edwin got the bracelet off." He glances over and Edwin helpfully lifts his hand, showing off his bare wrist. "So we can head back to the office without anyone losing an arm. Aces, right?"

But when he turns back to the girls, they're both still staring curiously at Edwin - or, more likely, the conspicuous shimmering streak of the spell on his face. "The, er, bad news, though—"

"Why are your lips glowing like that?" Niko asks, before he can finish.

"The Cat King cast a truth spell on me," Edwin says easily, then frowns, like his mouth has betrayed him.

Crystal raises her eyebrows in what's either disbelief or exasperation, or maybe both. "And that's the bad news?"

"Yes," Edwin says, still frowning.

"Great," Crystal says dryly, rubbing her forehead. "Well, my next question is 'what the fuck', so unless Niko's got anything better—"

"No, you can ask that first," Niko says eagerly.

"Oi," Charles cuts in, hoping to draw their attention away from Edwin's discomfort. "We don't really know what the spell actually does yet, so let's hold off on the interrogation, yeah?"

"Uh, or," Crystal says, giving him a dubious look, "if we don't know, I can think of an easy fix." And before Charles can stop her, she turns to face Edwin again. "What does the truth spell do?"

"It forces honesty out of the afflicted target," Edwin says promptly. "I seem to be compelled to answer any question, as well as unable to lie when answering."

There's a brief silence while everyone takes that in - including Edwin, who immediately looks down at the floor, lips pressed tightly together.

"So this is your actual nightmare," Crystal deadpans. "Great."

Based on the stiffening line of Edwin's shoulders, Charles thinks that might not be as much of an exaggeration as she probably means it to be. In fact, Edwin's initial reaction to the spell makes a lot more sense now, and how easily he gave up the secret the Cat King made him tell—except it was Charles who actually made him say it, wasn't it? He was the one who asked the questions.

He feels a guilty thread unspooling somewhere inside him, the phantom sensation of it winding between his ribs - but that's not exactly helpful at the moment, so he tries to ignore it, shaking himself back to the present in time to catch Niko's glance at him.

"So it just makes him answer questions with the truth?" she asks, cautiously optimistic. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"It is if you value your privacy," Crystal sighs, giving Edwin a sympathetic glance. "Or if it's cast by a total creep."

Edwin avoids her gaze, jaw clenched and back stiff with discomfort. Charles moves a step closer to him, unable to help himself. "We were lucky the cat didn't stick around," he says, readying a reassuring look just in case Edwin glances up.

He doesn't though, and instead it's Crystal that turns to him with her brow furrowed. "Wait, you're telling me the Cat King cast an honesty spell, and then left without asking anything?" she asks, incredulous, then looks back at Edwin. "How do you know how the spell works, then?"

Before Charles can even open his mouth, Edwin speaks up. "He's cast it on me once before."

That is brand new information. Charles whips around to face him while Edwin once again clamps his mouth shut in annoyance. The streak of magic on his lips continues to glow almost innocently, in contrast to the flush spreading across his cheeks. "When did that happen?" Charles demands.

"While we were investigating Point No Point," Edwin replies, then shoots him an angry frown. "You know this already, Charles, we talked about it then."

But Charles doesn't remember talking about it, exactly - he remembers Edwin hiding it until Niko accidentally let it slip. He remembers arguing about it, remembers his frustration and Edwin's unconvincing nonchalance, and then being interrupted by Crystal trying to pitch herself off the viewpoint. "You didn't tell us he used a spell on you," he says, trying to keep his voice even.

Edwin's jaw clenches again. "It wasn't important."

"It seems pretty bloody important now," Charles grits out. "Edwin, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want you to know."

A pang of hurt lances through Charles' chest. Edwin looks pained too, his mouth snapping shut again, but that isn't really enough—Charles needs to know why, the word leaping to the tip of his tongue—

Crystal steps in front of him with a hiss. "Charles, shut up! Stop asking questions!"

Guilt tugs sharply at his ribs again, snuffing out everything else for a whiplash moment that Charles uses to get a grip. It's not Edwin's fault, he reminds himself, it's the spell, the stupid cat's magic.

But it was also the truth, and as bad as Charles feels for dragging it out of him, he feels worse for knowing that Edwin apparently doesn't trust him as much as he thought.

"I take back what I said," Niko murmurs, glancing worriedly between them. "This spell sounds like it's just for making things awkward and kind of upsetting."

"It probably really is something like that," Crystal huffs, crossing her arms. "Look, we need a game plan. If it's like this when it's just us, we definitely don't want to put Edwin in front of clients, either." Even Edwin agrees with her on that one, though it takes him a second to admit it.

"I'm assuming you would've mentioned if the spell was just going to wear off on its own," Crystal goes on slowly, beginning to pace. "So… this is probably gonna be one of those research-heavy, 'look it up in a magic book' type of cases." She turns to Edwin and rolls her eyes at the pinched look he's giving her. "I know that's reductive, just give me a yes or no."

Edwin tones down his haughtiness by about half a notch. "Research is what I would first suggest, yes."

"Okay, and - sorry about this - there's no other negative effects, right?" Crystal asks, almost wincing as she does. "It's not, like, draining your spirit energy or whatever?"

"Not as far as I've observed," Edwin answers. Knowing it's the truth lifts a bit of the weight on Charles' chest.

"Good," Crystal says, sounding pretty relieved herself. She stops pacing and turns to face the three of them with a purposeful look. "Alright, here's what I think. The longer we all stick around here talking it over, the more likely it is that someone's going to ask something they don't really want answered." She doesn't even glance at Charles as she says it, but he still has to fight against a guilty flinch. "And since I don't really know how much help Niko and I can even be on this one, unless you want to cart your whole bookshelf through the mirror—"

"Oh!" Niko cuts in, raising her hand. "But since the bracelet came off, Edwin can mirror travel to the bookshelf instead!"

"Right," Crystal agrees. "But you and I can't."

Niko frowns and puts her hand down. "Oh, yeah."

"Look, what if we just… make it work," Crystal says, looking from her to Charles. "I mean - we keep the agency open. Niko and I stay here, handle any clients, do the field work, talk to witnesses and whatever else. And…" She turns to Edwin, not combative as Charles expects, but imploring. "In the meantime, you two head back to London and focus on figuring this spell out."

"Yes," Niko gasps in delight, crowding in beside her to beam excitedly at Edwin. "You can count on us! We'll even do all the paperwork!"

It really doesn't sound like a bad idea to Charles either, except— "What about David?"

Crystal gives him a look that's somehow both flat and brazen at once, her eyes flashing. "If he has half a brain, he won't fuck with me right now."

Belatedly, Charles thinks back to the whirlwind of power she brought out against Esther the night before, and figures she probably knows what she's talking about. "Right. Aces."

That just leaves Edwin to weigh in, and Charles is pretty sure everyone in the room is aware that the final decision is really up to him. Crystal is basically suggesting they hand over agency operations, which is kind of a big deal, especially if Edwin wants to keep pretending she hasn't proved herself a true detective by now. He doesn't seem vehemently set against it, at least - Charles has a hard time reading Edwin's expression with the spell distracting his eye - but he's not exactly nearing Niko's level of enthusiasm, either.

As he watches, though, Edwin glances up and shares a look with Crystal. Charles can't quite decipher whatever passes between them, but a second later, Edwin nods. "An efficient solution, at least for now," he agrees, less stiffly than Charles expects. "Well reasoned, Crystal."

He sounds like he means it, which is enough for Charles, if still a bit of a surprise. But as the four of them shuffle across the apartment towards the makeshift office's mirror, he catches a glimpse of the tiny smile Crystal tosses Edwin's way - and the quiet gratitude he returns it with. It barely lasts a second, but it leaves Charles wondering if the two of them might understand each other better than he thought.

Of course, with the plan sorted, there's really not much left to do but say goodbye and get to work. Charles retrieves his backpack - stupid to have left it behind earlier, but he supposes cracking his bat over the Cat King's head would have gone rather against the diplomacy Edwin asked him to attempt - and slings it over his shoulder before joining Edwin in front of the mirror. For all her eagerness, Niko is the most reluctant to see them off, giving them each a long hug and sniffling as she steps away.

"They're coming back, you know," Crystal chides her gently, putting a comforting arm around her that Niko immediately leans into. "Besides, with the type of enemies these guys have, them leaving town for a bit might do us all a favour."

Charles shoots her a playful frown. "Oi, we don't usually have enemies, alright? And didn't you literally send that witch to another dimension, or something?"

Crystal shrugs that off. "Yeah, but who knows when the next immortal douchebag will decide they have it out for us?"

"Or the next cute magic animal," Niko says sadly, then gives Edwin a hopeful look. "Are there good magic animals?"

"I believe there are several such species," Edwin says promptly, and shares a little smile with her before he turns to step up to the mirror. Charles watches him reach out to touch the surface, clocking the tiny breath of relief he lets out when the glass shimmers the way it's supposed to. Then Edwin closes his eyes to focus on feeling out their path, and Charles only remembers to look away when Crystal sidles up beside him.

"So, we'll check in later, I guess?" she says, then jabs him in the side with a pointed finger that he doesn't really feel. "And keep us in the fucking loop this time, you assholes," she huffs. "Let us know if we can help."

"Promise," Charles assures her with a grin. He doesn't really feel the hug she pulls him into either, but he appreciates the gesture. "Back soon, yeah?" he says softly into her hair. "Your case is still open, after all."

Crystal laughs a little, rolling her eyes as she pulls back. "Trust me, I'm very aware." Then she smiles up at him, lovely as always - if just a little too perceptive, all of a sudden. "But I think right now, Edwin needs you a bit more than I do."

She's right, arguably, but Charles gets the sense that there's some other meaning in her words he's expected to get.

Before he can do much more than furrow his brow at her, though, Edwin opens his eyes. "I've got it," he announces, and sure enough, when Charles glances over the office has shimmered into view on the other side of the mirror.

Edwin looks both relieved and a little frayed, but he manages a smile when he catches Charles' gaze - a bit weak at the edges, and the spell is still glowing conspicuously right there in the middle of it, but Charles is warmed by the sight anyway. He steps closer to take the hand Edwin holds out to him, and that he can definitely feel - the heat of Edwin's palm pressed against his own, even the slightly nervous tightening of his grip as Edwin takes the first step into the mirror. Charles squeezes back and makes to follow him, taking just one last glance over his shoulder at Niko's goodbye wave and Crystal's knowing smile before he steps right through the rippling glass—

—and out the other side, into the late afternoon light of London coming through the office windows. It's not quite as triumphant a return as Charles would like, but after the morning they just stepped out of, he'll take it.

They haven't even been away that long - like, compared to the thirty-ish years it's been their home base, and considering they have returned a couple times to dig through the bookshelves (or Charles has, at least, and Edwin has returned to the three-foot radius around the mirror) - but it's a huge relief all the same. Charles drops his backpack on the floor and looks around the place with what feels like brand new eyes, taking in knick-knacks and furniture he hadn't even realized he'd been missing. The caseboard, the trusty couch, the arguably-useless coat rack in the corner, the stray Cluedo pieces they keep forgetting to put back in the box… and Edwin is clearly just as relieved to be back as Charles is, already less tense than he was on the other side of the mirror.

Of course, looking at him, Charles can't help his gaze catching on the still-glowing streak of spellwork on Edwin's mouth, and in doing so he also catches the moment Edwin notices what he's looking at. His lips immediately press together in a frown, edginess returning to his expression like it never left.

"Right, then," he says stiffly, turning away toward their bookshelves. "To work."

"Edwin," Charles tries, but Edwin is already halfway across the office and avoiding his gaze by digging out his notebook. Charles follows, huffing quietly to himself.

"I've very few notes about the particulars of cat magic," Edwin says, flipping pages so quickly he can't possibly be reading any of them. "I don't think we'll have much luck with just any old catch-all counterspell, but it could be worth a go - and maybe the Bestiary will have something useful, though ours is rather out of date—" There's clear agitation in his movements, and when he snaps his notebook decisively shut to reach for the closest volume, Charles steps in front of him before he can start tugging everything off the shelf.

"Hey," he says gently, meeting Edwin's impatient glare head-on. "Let's not rush through it, yeah? We just got here, mate. We can relax for a tick."

Edwin frowns at him, stubborn as ever - but it's familiar territory, now. Charles decides to gamble on a smile. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything, but I've got it on good authority that the chair behind the desk has really missed you."

As he'd hoped, it surprises Edwin enough to bring him back to himself a little, and he deflates with a breath of grudging laughter. "I suppose I haven't given it much of a chance to fully sink in yet," he admits, managing to sound wry even as he gives Charles a grateful look. Charles just grins, glad to steer him away from the bookshelf and over to the desk instead.

Edwin doesn't even need urging for the final few steps, easily slipping into place behind the desk like he's letting muscle memory guide him. He brushes a fond hand across the back of his chair and glances up at Charles with a smirk. "And here I'd almost gotten used to Crystal's ironing board."

Charles snorts. "Well, maybe we should keep the Port Townsend office open after we sort out her case," he suggests, leaning his hip against the desk. "The agency's got twice as many detectives now, after all." Edwin hums but doesn't argue the point, so Charles takes it as a win. "It might be easier if we're all in one place, though."

"The ten hour commute does seem like a bit of an unreasonable ask," Edwin allows, completely serious - until he catches Charles' eye, and they both dissolve into snickering for a few moments.

If Crystal isn't a full agency partner already, Charles vows to lobby even harder for it now, based solely on her insight that he and Edwin would be best off returning to the office. He knows neither of them have forgotten about the truth spell, or that they still don't really know where to start when it comes to getting rid of it - but it's so nice just to be home, finally, both of them together. It might just be the giddy relief talking, but for the first time since the Cat King disappeared, Charles feels confident that he and Edwin can figure it all out.

"Never thought I'd see Crystal offering to sit out on a case," he muses once their laughter quiets down. "I think that's the fastest you and her have ever agreed on something."

Edwin rolls his eyes as he settles in the chair, crossing one leg primly over the other. "Yes, well. She presented a fair argument." He pauses for a moment, furrowing his brow. "And she seemed to… Well, I suppose she of all people understands what it feels like to… to not have full control of your own actions."

Charles feels the thread wound through his ribs draw tight again and drops his gaze. "Right, yeah."

He really should've been more careful, earlier. He played right into the stupid spell, like he couldn't help himself. But there was just so much going on - annoyance at the Cat King, confusion about what the spell even meant… plus the weird, unnamable turmoil he was already knee-deep in about the things Edwin had kept from him.

And beside all that, even if he hates to admit it, it felt good to get the answers he asked for. It felt good to know, to not have to wonder, even for just the few seconds before he remembered himself and shut his mouth.

Now, though, here in the office, it's different. It's just the two of them, no outsiders, no distractions, just Charles and Edwin and a case to solve, the way it's always been. They'll just have to work around the truth spell, is all - which, now that Charles knows how it works, isn't even that big of a deal, right? Nothing to worry about, except that he might ask Edwin something stupid without thinking. Or worse, that he will think about it first, but the urge to know the answer will be too strong to resist. It keeps circling in Charles' head - he could just ask. He's not going to, but he could.

Okay, so maybe he's a little worried.

"Maybe I should go, too," he suggests lightly, trying to sound casual. "You know, give you the office to yourself. Just so I don't, like, accidentally ask you anything." Anything else, he mentally tacks on, and only just barely manages not to wince. He doesn't actually want to leave Edwin alone, but it might be for the best if he can't keep his head on straight. He could always hang around the building to keep watch, just in case—

"No, Charles, you should stay," Edwin says, cutting off his swirling thoughts. When Charles wills himself to glance up, he looks serious, like the idea of Charles leaving has really troubled him. "How will I ever know if I've erased or even outlasted the spell if there's no one around to trigger it?"

"Oh." Charles didn't think of that. It's a good point - it's also a welcome excuse to stay close, but he does his best not to show just how massive of a relief that is. "Right, I guess you can't really ask yourself questions, can you?"

"Exactly," Edwin says, a little wry. Then his eyes light up. "Exactly, Charles, that could be it!"

He's out of his chair before Charles can do much more than raise his eyebrows, already flipping open his notebook again. "What if we work with the spell, instead of trying to avoid prompting it?" Edwin says, growing more enthusiastic by the word. "It'll be an experiment of sorts - you ask me questions that test the parameters of the spell, and since my answers are guaranteed to be truthful, we can use them to determine if there are any loopholes or limits. At the very least, we'll gain some concrete data about this type of magic, and at best…" He glances up at Charles, a little breathless. "If we find and push the boundary of the spell, we might find a way to undo it entirely."

It takes Charles a moment to realize Edwin is waiting for his approval - as if he could possibly say no to the hopeful look on Edwin's face, made all the clearer by the spell glowing on his mouth. "Sounds aces," he says easily, standing up to join him with a grin. "Let's do it."

He does feel a bit of trepidation at the idea of triggering the spell on purpose - playing right into it again - but when Edwin smiles back at him, the curve of his lips splitting right through the spell, he tries to push it to the back of his mind.

They settle in their usual Cluedo spot in the middle of the floor, sitting facing each other as if the board is between them. While Edwin is distracted by his notebook, Charles can't help stealing another glance at the magic streak, the golden line of it bending where Edwin runs his teeth across his lip as he flips pages. Suddenly the Cat King's voice drifts into his thoughts, the suggestive lilt as he said you two clearly have a lot to talk about.

At the time, he thought the cat was just being annoying, but now Charles wonders if he was hoping they'd do exactly this: inducing the spell's effect on purpose, trying to use it to their advantage without fully knowing the scope of it.

The thought makes him uneasy. He considers pointing it out to Edwin before they get in too deep, but if they decide to abandon this experiment idea entirely, he has no clue what they'll do instead. They've only just left square one, and the thought of taking even that singular step backward isn't very appealing - especially now, when Edwin is so clearly energized by having an actual plan. Charles isn't sure he could stand watching him lose the spark of it.

Well, what does that stupid cat know, anyway? He pushes his worries away again, more firmly this time. They're going to figure this out. They have to. Charles refuses to let anything else hurt Edwin today. Besides, they're home, they're safe, and there's no one here but the two of them. What could go wrong?

"Alright," Edwin finally says, having flipped to a blank page and scribbled a heading. He looks up at Charles expectantly. "Are you ready?"

Charles nods, eager to get going, then remembers that it's up to him to ask the parameter-testing questions. Much easier said than done, he quickly figures out - it's hard enough trying not to ask Edwin any questions, let alone coming up with something that could actually be useful if answered.

Luckily, Edwin takes pity on him. "Perhaps we can start with the boundaries we already know about," he suggests, twirling his pen. "For example, we've seen that the spell activates in response to questions, but it seems inert the rest of the time."

"Right," Charles says, dutifully wracking his brain. "And… it only makes you answer questions meant for you, not every single thing that anybody gets asked."

Edwin tilts his head in thought. "That's true. I answered Crystal's question about how I recognized the spell, but not anything she or Niko asked you before that."

And right afterwards, Charles recalls guiltily, he made Edwin answer more than one stupid question of his own, before Crystal had to step in to keep him from pushing too hard.

He swallows the urge to apologize and tries to steer himself back towards something a touch more helpful than dwelling on his idiot mistakes forever. Maybe Edwin is onto something, running through who asked what and to whom - and following that train of thought, Charles recalls something else.

"Crystal thought it was weird that the Cat King left without asking you anything," he says slowly, brow furrowed. "Even when he cast the spell, didn't he just say—"

"'Tell him'," Edwin murmurs, eyes far away for a moment before he blinks and shakes his head. "He said something similar the first time. It could be a component of the spellwork—or maybe just some sort of flourish?" He thinks it over for a moment, oblivious to Charles struggling to push down a flare of indignation at the cat's sheer nerve - a flare that's soundly doused as soon as Edwin looks back up at him. "You could try it."

Charles isn't sure what his expression does with that suggestion, exactly, but Edwin seems to take it as confusion and huffs a little as he explains. "We need to know if the spell is triggered only by direct questions or by broader terms as well. So…" He gestures vaguely at Charles with his pen. "Try it. Tell me to… tell you something."

He says it like it's easy, like the very real possibility that he'll then do whatever Charles says isn't worrying at all. Charles, on the other hand, feels very suddenly out of his depth. The truth spell is obviously trouble, probably tailor-made for it, like Niko said. But until now, Charles hadn't really thought about just how much… power it gives him over Edwin.

It's kind of scary, if he's honest with himself. And underneath that, in a place he doesn't really want to look, it's kind of thrilling, as well.

He meets Edwin's gaze and swallows hard. "Tell me your favourite colour."

Edwin rolls his eyes with a huff that's mostly laughter, and the tension breaks. "Honestly, Charles," he chides, trying and failing not to smile. "Please take this seriously."

Charles grins back. "I am, I swear! That didn't work, so the spell must only make you answer actual questions." It also means Charles doesn't have to think about what else he could have gotten Edwin to say, which is a relief. "The 'telling' thing's gotta be more cat magic, or something."

"Of course the Cat King would have his own set of rules," Edwin sighs, tapping his pen against the page for a moment. "Well, I suppose it simplifies the experiment somewhat."

Charles nods, feeling bolstered enough now to actually jump into the asking part. And if he can still feel that secret thrill running quietly under his thoughts—well, as long as he can just keep it there, away from the surface, he won't have to think about that, either.

"Right, then." He sits up a little, mirroring Edwin's focused pose. "I guess we'll start with something easy, yeah?"

"Not too easy," Edwin says, just a touch haughtily. "We've seen already that I will answer even inane questions dutifully."

Charles snorts. "There should be a baseline, though, just to test it out…" He glances around the office for inspiration, eyes landing on the case board standing open. "What's the first case we ever closed?"

Edwin, of course, answers swiftly. "The Flaxdown Vanishings of 1990." Charles supposes he probably would've had that one just as quick without the spell, it being a fairly momentous occasion, but Edwin looks willing to indulge him a little longer.

"D'you remember what we got paid for it?" Charles asks.

"Yes." Edwin pointedly doesn't elaborate. Charles shoots him a grin and rephrases.

"What did the Flaxdown Vanishings client pay us for our services?"

"Her accumulated pocket change." He gives Charles a droll smile. "Amounting to about three pounds forty-five, most of it in two- and five-pence coins. Satisfied?"

Charles snickers, shaking his head. "What about… The Case of the Riverside Remains, what year was that?"

"2001," Edwin says immediately, then frowns. "We're not testing my memory, Charles."

"Okay, okay." He probably should've expected the past-cases track would be a bust - of course Edwin would know every single one by name, just like Charles does. "Uh, how about…"

But Edwin speaks up again before he can think of another question. "Ask me something I wouldn't know the answer to," he says slowly, tapping his pen against the page again. "Something impossible for me to know."

Charles blinks at him. "Like what?" he asks without thinking—but Edwin is prompt as ever.

"Something you haven't told me before, or the details of an event that happened when I wasn't present."

"Okay." But Charles has to cast pretty far back in his memory for something that Edwin wasn't around for. "What was the, er… The last cricket match I played on the school team, who were we up against?"

Both Edwin and his pen-tapping pause for a moment, then he looks up with a pleased little smile. "I don't know."

Another small step away from square one, Charles thinks, nodding along. "So you can't just grab answers from nowhere."

"The spell seems to be limited to my own knowledge and memory," Edwin confirms, scribbling in his notebook. "Which makes sense, as cat magic - so far as we've seen it, anyway - seems to be mostly for mischief and not fortune telling."

Charles isn't so sure he'd call the cat's weird secret-sharing obsession stuff 'mischief', but he gets the idea. "Yeah, I guess it'd be too easy if I could just ask you how to get rid of it," he says, huffing out a breath.

But Edwin stops writing, curiosity stealing over his face for a moment before he looks back up at Charles with his eyebrows raised. Charles bites back his amusement and follows the silent instruction. "How do we undo the spell?" he asks.

There's a long beat of silence, then Edwin sighs and smiles wryly at him. "I honestly have no idea."

Charles grins back. "It was worth a shot."

For a while it's almost fun, working together to come up with questions - more like doing one of those logic puzzles Edwin loves than testing the edges of a slightly-threatening piece of spellwork. It doesn't even seem to matter that they don't really make much progress, beyond ruling out a few useless avenues. Subjective questions get honest but subjective answers, while rhetorical questions mostly just make Edwin sound incapable of understanding sarcasm, and riddles are totally pointless because he and Charles know all the same ones. Still, Charles could almost forget the dire stakes if it weren't for the slash of magic still glowing across Edwin's mouth.

Well—that, and one other thing.

It's begun to dawn on Charles that to truly test the limits of the spell, he'll have to ask something that Edwin would rather lie to him about. Even if Edwin agrees to it, Charles is still going to be left prying something out of him against his will. Again, he can't help thinking that it seems like exactly what the Cat King wanted, getting Edwin to spill his secrets… But even if it's not that, Charles still really doesn't like the idea of purposefully invading his best mate's privacy, or being the one to force him into saying things he'd rather not share. Again.

Sure, there are some things he's really curious about - he'd love to know just what the fuck has been going on with Edwin since they got to Port Townsend, for example, and why he kept the Monty thing - the kissing Monty thing - from him. But Charles isn't so insensitive as to demand answers via the spell when Edwin might give them over willingly if he's just a little patient.

The issue, of course, is that Charles knows he doesn't have to be patient. The magical line drawn across Edwin's mouth is a constant reminder of the power he has, right now, to ask Edwin whatever he wants to know and get the honest answer. Still a faintly terrifying thought, at the moment, but Charles isn't sure how long he'll be able to keep steering both himself and the experiment away from it.

"What if you—I mean," he starts in the next lull between questions. "Maybe you can still lie." Edwin looks up from his notebook, eyebrows raised in interest as Charles goes on. "Like, we know the spell reacts to questions. But if I don't actually ask you anything, it shouldn't stop you from just… saying whatever you want."

Edwin hums, impressed, and takes about half a second to think of a lie. "Absolutely nothing of note has ever happened to me in the presence of a cat." He says it so plainly that Charles can't help a bark of laughter. Edwin gives him a wry little smile, as close to mischievous as Charles has ever seen. "Now ask me."

Charles grins fondly back at him. "How'd we get ourselves into this one, mate?"

"I used a binding spell on a cat," Edwin sighs out, "without realizing quite how many consequences would arise from attracting the attention of the Cat King."

"That's about the gist of it," Charles agrees, leaning back on his palms. He wonders if the Cat King has any idea just how much trouble he caused with his stupid bracelet. Actually, scratch that - based on his glee at casting the tricky little spell glowing on Edwin's lips, the cat probably knew exactly what he was doing.

Charles catches himself staring at it again, distracted by the slight shimmer of the magic. He imagines it must be even worse for Edwin, constantly in his periphery.

"Can you—no, wait—" He presses a fist to his forehead, thinking carefully through the words while Edwin rolls his eyes and pretends he's not smiling. "I want to ask about… whether or not you can feel the spell. Like, on your skin, I mean. It looks a bit like a cat scratch." A horrible thought suddenly strikes him. "It doesn't burn like a cat scratch, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Edwin assures him, and Charles is both relieved and preoccupied with cursing himself for asking without thinking, again.

Tilting his head, Edwin considers the rest of Charles' words. "I can sense the magic, though I can't really feel much of it physically," he explains. "It does sort of… tingle, I suppose." He lifts a hand to his mouth absentmindedly, like he's not really aware of the finger he's running across his bottom lip. "I can ignore it, for the most part, except when I'm giving an answer."

Charles snaps back to himself, brow furrowing. "Does it—er—"

Edwin seems to refocus as well, dropping his hand and giving Charles an exasperated look. "You can just ask, Charles."

He tries not to wince. "Does it hurt when you answer?"

"No," Edwin says, even as he seems a little surprised by the question. "I told you that already, when Crystal asked about negative effects."

"Just making sure," Charles says, as casually as he can manage. With his worries assuaged, he can in fact recall Edwin answering Crystal earlier, but he's glad he asked anyway. Edwin has a bad habit of disregarding pain when it's anything less than literally Hellish.

They seem to have accidentally opened a new avenue of questions at least, and he's glad to follow it into safer territory - even if the permission Edwin has given him to stop waffling over non-questions and just ask makes him a little nervous.

"I know you've probably tried this already," Charles says, still careful, "but can you, like… resist it?"

"It doesn't seem possible," Edwin admits with a little sigh. "It's… it's like the moment a question is asked, the spell decides that I'm going to answer, and that remains true until I've done so. Afterwards, of course, it seems ridiculous," he huffs, like he's annoyed at himself anyway. "But by the time I think to try and resist, the words are already out. I can swear to myself that I absolutely will not answer the next question, but when that next one comes, it suddenly seems… rational, to respond honestly."

Charles nods along, thinking back to the Cat King's lair, and how Edwin went from tightlipped about Monty to forthcoming with the details in a split second. "Was it any different the first time, at Point No Point?"

"No," Edwin says, looking just a little irked to have that slip brought up. "Although it didn't last nearly as long. The Cat King only asked one question before erasing the spell."

Only the remembered sting of Edwin confessing that this was something he didn't want him to know about stops Charles from immediately asking the obvious follow-up. Still, his burning curiosity must be written all over his face, because Edwin takes one glance at him and rolls his eyes in exasperation. "He wanted me to tell him why I care about our cases," he explains.

That doesn't sound nearly as nefarious as Charles was expecting. He narrows his eyes anyway. "He couldn't just ask you normally?"

"He did," Edwin huffs out. "He was unsatisfied with my first answer, and so used the spell instead." He catches Charles trying and failing not to grimace and lifts his chin defensively. "He only meant to assure me that I need not hide anything from him."

"Right," Charles says flatly. "And I'm sure using magic to make you tell him really did the job."

"Regardless," Edwin sighs, matching his tone, "there's no sense getting angry about it now, Charles."

"I'm not angry," he says angrily, then at Edwin's pointedly raised eyebrow, he deflates with a huff.

"I'm just sick of that fucking cat," Charles grumbles, crossing his arms. "Making like he's doing you a favour, and then—just—walking all over you." He really doesn't understand why Edwin puts up with it. Even if he was right about the Cat King trying to put moves on him, Charles would've thought that would make him act like less of a prick. And yet, here they are.

"It's… not quite that bad," Edwin says slowly, seeming a little taken aback by Charles' indignation. "Or that simple. The Cat King is—he's basically harmless."

"Basically," Charles repeats, incredulous.

"He's not exactly malicious, I mean," Edwin tries again, waving a hand. "He's a cat. He's… bored. He wants someone to play with him."

Charles thinks that's a fairly generous read, considering he can still clearly remember the way the Cat King leered at them earlier. Not to mention how he got right up in Edwin's personal space. "So trapping you in Port Townsend was just a bit of fun, then," he grumbles, pushing the memory away.

"I didn't say he wasn't extremely bothersome at times," Edwin says dryly. "And as for this—" he gestures vaguely at his mouth— "it's… well. You heard what he said about wanting a parting gift. He enjoys learning secrets." He drops his hand and looks away, brows pinched together. "And revealing them."

Charles watches him with a frown, wracking his brain for a way to ask what's that's supposed to mean without forcing an answer - but he gets a bit distracted by the way Edwin's pursed lips perfectly line up the two halves of the spell glowing across his mouth. He snaps out of it when Edwin lets out a breath and looks up, meeting his gaze with a sudden intensity that sends all other thoughts flying out of Charles' head.

"Speaking of, well, things revealed," Edwin says, stilted like he's forcing himself not to hesitate. "The Cat King knew I had kept something from you. The Monty thing, I mean. That he'd turned on us because of me."

"The botched playground date?" Charles says stupidly.

"Yes," Edwin says, then blinks and frowns at him. "It wasn't a date, we talked on a swing set, for goodness sake. Just—listen." He closes his notebook and puts it aside, leaving nothing between them but a few inches of rug. Charles hardly dares to blink while Edwin is looking at him like this, nervous but still determined.

"The Cat King knew that I hadn't told you about it, and he used that to try and cause… conflict between us," Edwin goes on. "But I want you to know, it's not that I wanted to… to hide it from you, it's just—I'm not…" He pauses, mouth twisting beneath the spell as he ducks his head. "There are some things I'm not used to expressing so plainly, and… I needed time to be sure of what I was feeling."

"Edwin," Charles says, surprised and sort of touched, even though he hates the thought that Edwin had been carrying this worry around. He reaches out to place his palm on Edwin's knee, hoping the touch is reassuring, or at least warm. "It's okay, mate. No harm done. We're still aces as always."

A thought suddenly strikes him - could this be what Edwin wanted to say to him at Crystal's earlier, before they were interrupted? If so, the Cat King's timing is worse than he ever thought possible. "Look, I meant what I said," Charles goes on, a little softer. "Whoever you're into, it doesn't matter to me. You believe me, yeah?"

"Of course I do," Edwin says, warmly enough that Charles almost forgets about the spell making him answer. It's the truth, though, and even if Charles didn't really mean to ask, he's still glad to know it.

"Good," he says, hoping it sounds as heartfelt as it feels. Then he lets the grin fall from his face. "Except the Cat King. If he crosses our path again, I'm bringing a spray bottle."

It shocks a laugh out of Edwin, just as he wanted. "Same with the crow," Charles adds, still trying for serious even while he's struggling not to laugh along with him. "I know Esther's out of the picture for now, but he'd better find someplace else to flap around."

Edwin looks a little less sure of that one, but still amused as he tilts his head in thought. "Well…"

"Don't tell me you feel bad for him, too," Charles groans. "He nearly fed us to a giant evil mushroom!"

"I do recall," Edwin says with an eye roll. "It's just—he was only acting out of hurt, since I… turned him down." He sighs, his shoulders twitching in a tiny shrug, and Charles reflexively swipes his thumb in a soothing stroke across his kneecap. "I think he regretted it, by the end. And he was a good friend, for a while."

"Just a friend?" Charles asks, teasing - though he really is curious.

"Just a friend," Edwin agrees. He's looking a little pink though, high in his cheeks and at the tips of his ears…

Blushing, Charles realizes with delight. Edwin Payne, flustered. "Even though you kissed," he presses, biting back a grin.

"He kissed me," Edwin insists, the flush creeping across his nose. "It was very sudden, I hardly had time to react - but it wasn't unpleasant, it was…" He pauses there, hesitating, and Charles only realizes he doesn't mean to continue when his eyes dart away. "Well. I suppose I should spare you the details."

Charles is kind of surprised to find himself feeling disappointed. "You don't have to," he says, probably a little too quickly. It's just—after he kissed Crystal, he was eager to tell Edwin all about it, practically bursting to share. He doesn't want Edwin to think he has to keep this to himself just because, what, Monty is a boy? "I'm all ears, mate."

He doesn't let himself look away when Edwin glances shyly back at him, even though he can feel his own face turning a similar shade of pink. It doesn't feel bad, though - more like something, some wall Charles has never noticed, has toppled between them. The longer they look at each other the more the embarrassment turns into a sort of giddiness, until Charles is just barely holding back a smile, and Edwin seems equally unable to help his lips curling up at the corners.

"It was… nice," Edwin admits into the small space between them, voice hushed like he's sharing a secret. Much better without the spell involved, Charles thinks, distantly aware that his hand is still on Edwin's knee. "I couldn't really feel it, except, um…" He taps his temple with a shy smile, mirroring Charles' same move from days ago. "Here. I told him later it was my first, and he was quite—"

Charles cuts in as his brain catches up. "It was your first kiss?"

"Yes," Edwin answers automatically, which dispels both his smile and the quiet moment they were sharing. Charles immediately regrets opening his mouth. He isn't even sure why that bit jumped out at him - the bigger question is why he can't seem to ever think before speaking.

"Sorry," he pushes out, finally taking his hand back. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know, Charles," Edwin says, more gently than he probably deserves. His cheeks are still flushed, but he doesn't look especially pleased about it anymore, rubbing his forehead with a sigh. "To your credit, the vast majority of your accidental questions have been things I'm only reluctant to share, at worst."

What felt like a thread earlier is now a coiled rope of guilt twisting between Charles ribs, tight enough that his scoff comes out a little choked. "Well, good, as long as you're only reluctant."

Edwin drops his hand to shoot him a concerned frown, which only makes him feel worse. "All I mean is that these are things I probably would've told you regardless, if the spell weren't a factor."

Charles isn't sure how true that really is, but he supposes it's nice that Edwin thinks so. "Still," he huffs out, hanging his head. "I swear, I'm really trying not to fuck up."

"I know," Edwin says again. There's a brief pause, then he hums. "That could be an idea, actually." Charles looks up to find Edwin gazing at him appraisingly, his brow furrowed. "You won't like it."

Prefacing it like that, he's almost certainly correct, but Charles manages not to grimace. "Let's hear it."

"Well," Edwin starts, hesitating for a split second. "You could do it on purpose. Ask me something I really don't want to tell you."

A heavy stone seems to sink through Charles' insides. He should've known Edwin would think of this eventually, same as he did. He can admit it's not a bad idea, on the surface - it cuts right to the chase if nothing else, telling them if raising the stakes makes it at all possible for Edwin to resist the spell. But he can't really call it a good idea, either.

It feels bad to think about, worse to imagine himself doing. Even if it does get them closer to undoing the spell, prying a truth - no, a secret - out of Edwin, on purpose? It'd be like betraying him, wouldn't it? The very fibre of Charles' non-corporeal being rebels at the thought.

He tries to keep the internal debate off his face, but Edwin still manages to read him like a book. "I told you," he says, though it comes out a bit too glum for the tease he probably meant it to be.

Charles frowns at him. "You can't honestly tell me you like the sound of it either."

"I don't have to like it," Edwin says, looking away. "It just has to work."

"But it might not," Charles tries, "and then—"

"And then I'll have bared my soul for nothing, as I've been doing all day," Edwin cuts him off, sharply edged. "Yes, I am aware, Charles, thank you. We should at least rule it out, like everything else."

Charles swallows hard around the dread creeping up his throat. "Come on, mate, I don't think…" He trails off, hoping a real argument will come to him, but it doesn't. He doesn't have much more than a vague nausea and a growing certainty that nothing good can come from this. "Just—think about it, yeah? It's not like I've got a list of things I think you'd lie to me about."

Edwin does think about it, pressing his lips together for a long moment, and just when Charles thinks he's maybe swayed him after all, Edwin looks down at his notebook still resting on the floor. He picks it up and holds it out. "Then ask me about Hell."

Charles very nearly flinches back from it. Edwin looks so solidly sure, almost defiant in his offering - and the thing is, Charles can't deny being curious.

In all the stories Edwin has told him about Hell, the anecdotes, the disjointed details without a throughline, he's never gotten into specifics about what exactly he went through down there. Not that Charles really needs him to, it being literal Hell and all. He's not exactly surprised that Edwin hasn't been especially keen to talk about it, except in a roundabout and safely-distant way. But he also knows that Edwin took loads of notes about Hell. There's probably enough in his little notebook to paint a fairly horrific picture, worse by far than the worst thing Charles has imagined.

And the temptation is right there, held out in Edwin's hand. Just a peek, just a quick flip through, just enough to spark a question that Edwin won't be able to twist away from, and finally Charles will have a light on the part of him that he's never seen up close.

But does he want that? To see it all just because he can? And worse, to see without being shown, to force Edwin to tell him, all but prying his mouth open for the words to fall out? He could do it, sure, but it wouldn't feel good. It would feel like hurting his best mate on purpose. Wrong, wrong at his core.

"Edwin—" He reaches for the notebook only to press it back into Edwin's hand, curling his fingers over it. "I don't think we should do this."

Edwin frowns, looking ready to argue, but Charles talks over him. "Listen to me—I know you want to solve this sooner rather than later. I do too, but this isn't… I don't want to ask you something you don't want to answer."

"The very fact that I don't want to answer might be key," Edwin insists, but Charles isn't sure he knows who he's really trying to convince anymore. "Surely there's something you've been dying to—"

"Do you want me to ask you about Hell?" Charles asks, his voice barely steady.

Edwin's answer is, of course, prompt. "No."

He looks caught, almost guilty about it, but Charles is relieved. "That's that sorted then," he says, more gently, and watches Edwin deflate as the annoyance drains out of him. It leaves him looking more tired than anything, tired and near hopeless. Charles really wants to wrap both arms around him and hold tight and not let go for a long time. He reaches out to touch Edwin's shoulder instead.

"We are going to figure this out," he promises - he hopes Edwin knows it's a promise, anyway. "We always do. Just… not like that."

Edwin nods and quietly tucks the notebook away, and Charles is more glad than anything to have missed his chance for a peek.

He suggests taking a break and Edwin agrees, accepting the hand Charles offers to pull him to his feet and letting himself be drawn over to the couch. He sits down easily enough, still looking rather drained, absently rubbing his mouth like he's deep in thought. Charles knows he probably won't sit idly for long, but giving him a bit of time to gather himself back together seems like the thing to do.

In the meantime, Charles picks up a spellbook one of them discarded on the arm of the couch weeks ago and sits down next to Edwin to leaf through it. He doesn't really take any of it in, though, the various diagrams and ingredient lists blurring together while most of his focus is tuned into Edwin at his side, relaxing by degrees. When Edwin turns toward him after a few minutes of quiet, it's almost a reflex to look up and meet his gaze.

Edwin still looks tired, and the shimmering streak is still there on his lips, but his eyes are clear and he looks more like himself. "You were right, Charles," he says on a sigh. "That was a stupid idea."

"Glad we agree," Charles says with a grin, but he knows Edwin is probably feeling just as relieved as he is, if not moreso. He swings his arm over the back of the couch, his wrist brushing the edge of Edwin's sweater collar. "Just because this whole thing sucks doesn't mean it has to suck that much."

"Succinct as always," Edwin says wryly, then lets out a breath. "I think either way you're still a touch better off than I am."

Charles hums doubtfully. "I dunno, mate. You've no idea how exhausting it is rephrasing every question into a statement."

It makes Edwin laugh, which is what Charles wanted. He smiles as he flips the spellbook shut and passes it over to him. "So. Square one round two, then."

Edwin nods as he looks over the cover, sighing again. "It could be worse, I suppose."

"Uh, mate, I think I remember Crystal calling this situation your worst nightmare."

"Well, yes, it's horrid, of course," Edwin says, and Charles snorts quietly. "But…" He slowly places the book down beside him as he searches for the words, his eyes still downcast. "I find it very difficult to not be in control, of a situation or of myself. But at the same time, it's… freeing, in a way."

Charles watches him, enrapt. "Yeah?"

"You may have noticed that I usually prefer to think before I speak," Edwin explains with a wry glance, "but defaulting to honesty takes that almost completely out of my hands. It requires some mental gymnastics, but yes, I can at least imagine how something like this could be—well," he cuts off with a frown. "Maybe 'pleasant' is going a bit far."

Charles laughs. "It gets you out of your head, is that it?"

"Something like that." Edwin tilts his head, considering. "It vastly depends on what's being asked, of course, and who is asking it, but… with you, for example. It's… easier."

His stilted tone makes Charles snicker again, though he does feel rather touched. "Aw, cheers, mate."

But Edwin is flushed again, like he's shared more than he meant to. "More than anything," he huffs out, swiping a self-conscious hand unhelpfully across his pink cheeks, "I'm growing concerned that the Cat King does have fortune magic after all, and foresaw exactly how mortifying this would be."

Charles would not be at all surprised if that were the case, but decides it wouldn't be very helpful to say so. Edwin is clearly exhausted, and no matter how many times Charles insists they're in it together, he's not the one with the cat's truth spell still slashed across his mouth. They can't really be on even footing while Edwin feels so vulnerable.

An idea flits into Charles' head half-formed, and he doesn't do much more than turn it over once before holding it out. "You could ask me."

Edwin gives him a confused look. "Ask you what?"

"Anything," Charles says. "I'll tell the truth, same as you."

He watches Edwin blink at him for a moment, like he's trying to tell if Charles is joking, or if he's as stupid as he sometimes sounds. "It won't be quite the same," he says slowly. "You aren't magically bound to honesty, for one thing."

"We can pretend I am," Charles insists, grinning now. "Ask me anything."

Edwin still looks a little doubtful, but he seems game enough, opening his mouth—and then closing it with a hum, brow furrowed. "I think I'm beginning to understand why you struggled with this," he admits.

Charles laughs triumphantly, but shakes his head. "Come on, no sympathy! You've got to be wanting some payback."

But Edwin still hesitates, and for a few seconds Charles really thinks he'll insist he's above such pettiness. He isn't, of course, and when the moment passes Edwin fixes him with a scrutinizing look. "What was the team you played your final cricket match against?" he asks.

Charles grins back at him. "I honestly don't remember, mate. That's why I asked you."

Edwin rolls his eyes but he's smiling again, and all Charles' worries seem further away.

"Alright," Edwin huffs, sitting up straighter. "When can I expect the monumental 'I told you so' I figure I'm owed about the Cat King?"

"Never," Charles answers truthfully. The idea of teasing Edwin about getting himself into this stopped being attractive about the same time that Charles realized how easily he could hurt him with it. "You're off the hook, promise."

Edwin looks a bit skeptical about that one, but he doesn't press. He goes quiet for a moment, thinking, and then shifts on the couch, turning sideways to face Charles with his shoulder pressed to the cushions and a troubled look on his face. Charles can tell even before he speaks that this question is different.

"Do you think I should've… been more suspicious of Monty?" Edwin asks in a small voice. "I worry that I was—I don't know, distracted. Or blinded, I suppose." His hands twist absently in his lap. "Since he was so kind and enthusiastic and it's… it's not usually so easy for me, making friends."

Charles turns in towards him as well, realizing a little too late that with his arm along the back of the couch between them he's almost boxing Edwin in - but Edwin barely seems to notice, waiting intently and a little anxiously for Charles' answer, even as Charles' knuckles brush his shoulder.

"I think you're already pretty suspicious about most people we meet," Charles says carefully. "Part of the job, innit?"

"Well, yes," Edwin admits, looking down, "but it was hardly my finest bit of detective work. Being oblivious to the crow right under our noses."

"It wasn't just you he got one over on," Charles insists, leaning a little closer to catch his eye again. "We all fell for it."

"Even you?" Edwin asks, his brows pinching together. "You seemed annoyed that I was spending time with him. I thought perhaps you had some intuition…"

"Did I?" Charles stares blankly back at him, trying to recall. He does remember being impatient a few times - namely when Edwin couldn't put that bloody astrology book down while Charles was trying to have a conversation with him, or when Monty would appear out of nowhere while they were trying to work and Edwin would lose all focus - but he can hardly call that intuition. Annoyance, sure. But if he'd had the faintest inkling that Monty would be kissing Edwin one minute and selling them out the next, he certainly wouldn't have let Edwin follow him into the Tall Forest. Or to the playground, for that matter.

"Well, I'd no idea he was going to try to feed us to a fungus, I can tell you that much," Charles says, shaking his head. "Feathery bastard."

Edwin's lips curl up in amusement. "It's not like he set the trap himself, Charles. You honestly seem more upset at him than at the witch who tried to worse-than-kill us several times."

"Yeah, well…" What can he say? Since learning that Monty not only betrayed them, but did so after stealing Edwin's first kiss, he can't really muster up much goodwill about the guy. "At least she was up front about it."

Snickering, Edwin tilts his head in mock curiosity. "And what about the Cat King, then?" he asks. "Does he rank above or below Monty, when it comes to magical creatures that have—inconvenienced us, shall we say?" He's almost playful about it, and as close as they are, Charles can ignore the shimmering spell on his mouth for how he's starting to grin around it, bright-eyed and flushed with pleasure.

He thinks about what Edwin might want him to say, then remembers he's supposed to be being honest. "About the same. Fuck that tosser."

Edwin nods like he expected as much. "I only ask as I'm a little worried that if this spell goes on much longer, we may have to grovel at his feet."

"Oh." Charles pretends to think it over, then shrugs. "I'd do it."

Edwin laughs again, surprised and pleased. "Would you, really?"

"For you, yeah," Charles says easily.

Something in Edwin's expression changes, his smile faltering for just a moment. Charles quickly runs back through what he's said just to be sure - but yes, it's what he meant to say, and it's the truth. He didn't even have to think about it that time. And then Edwin softens again, right before his eyes.

"You thought of it before I did, didn't you?" Edwin asks, quieter. "That to test the spell's full limits you'd have to ask something I didn't want to answer?"

Charles feels a little like he's missed a step, but nods. "I… thought about it, yeah."

Edwin frowns, bending the glowing streak out of shape. "There's still a chance it could lead us to break the spell—"

"And there's a chance it wouldn't," Charles shoots back. They watch each other for a long second, more aware than ever of the impasse: Edwin unable to do the experiment alone, and Charles unwilling to hurt him in the process.

"I didn't have to ask to know you'd rather not talk about Hell," Charles says quietly. "So we won't."

Edwin is still giving him a look he can't quite read. "We could've come up with something else, some other question I wouldn't want to answer."

"But—" Charles tries not to grimace, shrugging one shoulder noncommittally. "I don't want to just—take it from you. It's not really worth getting an answer you don't want to give."

Another soft smile curves across Edwin's mouth. "That's very valiant of you, Charles."

Charles likes how it sounds, coming from him. But he isn't sure it fits. "I shouldn't have let this happen to you in the first place," he mumbles, ducking his head.

"It's not your fault."

"It's as good as," Charles insists, prickling with shame. "I'm supposed to protect you."

"And you do. You have. Charles—" Edwin leans over and places his hand over Charles' where it's resting on the cushion between them, the touch of warmth drawing his gaze back up. "Believe me when I say I really would not have been willing to do this with anyone else. I was only able to suggest the experiment at all because I knew you would be… careful."

Charles' mouth twists, thinking of the guilty tangle in his chest, the sick temptation that ran through him. "But—"

"Ask me, if you want to be sure," Edwin says, staunchly confident. Charles thinks about it, but finds he can't really form the words with Edwin's warm gaze on him. He's not quite sure how or when they shifted so close together, but Charles finds himself a little dazed by the proximity all of a sudden. Even the glowing spell seems to fade from his notice. As his eyes dip down to Edwin's mouth just to be sure it's still there, Charles thinks about how easy it would be to lean over and kiss him.

It's like a bolt of lightning, a split second of thought that lights up every phantom nerve ending he has and completely obliterates everything else he'd been thinking about. He manages to come back to himself right as Edwin, satisfied by apparently rendering Charles totally speechless, smiles at him again.

"I am truly grateful that you stayed with me, Charles," he says softly, the spell shimmering as he speaks.

Charles swallows hard and doesn't let his gaze waver. "Wasn't gonna do anything else, was I?"

Edwin seems pleased by that, his eyes crinkling before he sighs and sits up straighter. "I was unfortunately rather serious about the grovelling thing," he says, taking his hand back. For a detached moment Charles is certain that he'll float away through the ceiling as soon as Edwin's fingers aren't covering his own, but of course it doesn't happen. "It's looking more and more like the best available option, though I do wish it was more feasible to let him languish in nursing his wounded pride for a few days…" Edwin's expression pinches in distaste for a moment before he shakes his head. "Can't be helped, I suppose. Unless you've any extremely timely new ideas to bring up?"

Charles, distracted by what certainly feels like his heart pounding in his chest, regardless of how possible that should be, realizes abruptly that he's expected to respond. "Uh—yep, I think we should stop by a florist on the way. Pick up a bouquet of roses, or something. Just to soften him up."

"Maybe not roses," Edwin snickers, wrinkling his nose. "He might get the wrong idea. Perhaps a literal olive branch?"

"What about, um—" Under the guise of thinking hard, Charles closes his eyes for a moment and begs himself to get it together. "Peace lily?"

"Lilies are toxic for cats," Edwin says mildly, head tilted in thought. "Poisons them. Same with chrysanthemum, hyacinth, tulip…"

He trails off when he notices Charles staring at him in bewildered amusement, and seems to finally realize his own words. "Ah—not that I looked those up specifically," he quickly clarifies as Charles starts to laugh. "I can assure you, I know a whole host of plants that are toxic for humans, as well."

Charles cackles harder. "Oh, to be sure to finish the job, is that it?"

Edwin splutters out a vehement denial that falls apart halfway through as he starts laughing himself. "You're the one who suggested flowers," he manages to huff out.

"You're the one who brought up poisoning!" Charles crows, wiping his eyes. "Look, mate, I'm not saying it's a bad plan, just that it maybe shouldn't be our plan A."

Edwin opens his mouth for what's bound to be a haughty response, but cuts off as his face lights up in realization. "Charles, that's it!"

"Uh—seriously, mate," Charles says a little warily as Edwin grabs the spellbook and flips to the index. "Let's call it plan B at least, yeah?" But Edwin is barely listening as he turns the pages, and when he finds what he's looking for he shifts closer to Charles to show him.

"We didn't bother with any standard counterspells earlier, since I assumed they would have no effect on cat magic," Edwin explains, holding the book up between them. "But look at this." Charles wrenches his attention away from where Edwin's shoulder is pressing against his and makes himself focus on the page. Besides a couple of dense paragraphs describing the spell, which he skims without really reading, there's also a diagram of a pinkish-purple plant with a long, flowering stem. "This spell calls for hyssop, mostly for its purification properties, but perhaps we could replace that with lily to counter the, well, cat factor, and then…"

He trails off, a little breathlessly. Charles looks up at him and barely notices the proximity for the bright hope flaring in Edwin's gaze. "And then?"

Edwin's lips quirk beneath the glowing spell. "And then we see if it works."

"Brilliant," Charles laughs, feeling light with relief. "Brilliant, Edwin, let's do it!"

There'll undoubtedly be a few more steps than what Edwin has laid out, but just like before, having even a vague plan seems to fill both of them with new energy. Edwin even matches Charles' excited grin before they both all but leap off the couch, heading in separate directions around the office - Charles grabs his backpack from the corner he'd dropped it in while Edwin paces past the bookshelf, skimming the spell's ingredients list.

"Our herbalism kit should have most of what we need," he reports, running a finger down the page. "We can stop at the apothecary for dried rue, and perhaps the lilies themselves, though—"

They both come to an abrupt stop when their paths converge at the front door, each realizing at the same moment that to go any further requires Edwin to leave the office. There's no telling what trouble the truth spell could get them into, depending on who or what crosses their path, and Charles doesn't really want to push their luck.

He considers offering to go alone, but quickly discards the idea - he was reluctant enough to leave Edwin by himself at the beginning of all this, and by now the thought is kind of unbearable. Even as vulnerable as he is, Charles would rather have Edwin by his side and within reach than anywhere out of his sight. It's maybe not the smartest or safest move, but it's what feels right. Though he's not exactly sure how to explain that to Edwin.

Luckily, he doesn't have to, as Edwin's expression turns stubborn and determined in a way that Charles is fondly familiar with. He's nervous to leave, sure, but he's still got that hopeful look - and he's decided to be brave, so the least Charles can do is match him for it.

He holds out his hand without thinking. Edwin glances at it and then up at him with a look of—not quite surprise, but quiet relief, maybe. A sort of aftershock hits Charles then, not nearly as hard as that first lightning strike, but the urge is there - to step closer, lean in, catch Edwin's mouth with his own. Easy.

But then there's the spell, glowing just faintly enough to be unignorable. Not in the way, necessarily, but there all the same, glaring, unavoidable. Charles promised that they'd figure out how to get rid of it, and to do that, before anything else, they have to get moving.

He lifts his gaze to meet Edwin's. "Stay close, yeah?" he murmurs. Edwin nods, takes his hand, and steps with him through the door.

Charles finds he's unexpectedly grateful that they haven't had a chance to tell anyone else they're back in London - not that they do much socializing outside of casework, but it's a relief to make the short walk to their local apothecary without coming across anyone who might ask Edwin what he's been up to lately. Still, Charles keeps a firm grip on his hand and gives off the most threatening energy he can muster while distracted by the warmth of Edwin's palm against his own. His spine still tingles with leftover static whenever his gaze catches on Edwin's mouth, which doesn't help either, but he tries his best to stay focused.

The sun has set by the time they cross the threshold of the apothecary, which luckily keeps hours as odd as theirs. Charles really means to take point on procuring what they need, but Edwin unexpectedly keeps hold of his hand inside the shop, so instead Charles floats through the interaction with the friendly witch proprietor and only realizes it's over when Edwin tugs him toward the door.

From there, they set off towards a nearby botanical garden - apparently at the witch's recommendation, though Charles doesn't really recall that part of the conversation - where they can procure fresh lilies. Slipping through the locked front gates isn't a problem for either of them, but as they pass the empty ticket booths and cross the eerily deserted forecourt, Charles starts to feel a little wary. He doesn't really think they're going to be ambushed in a flower garden, but it's hard not to be mistrustful of the maze they seem to have stepped into, all dimly-lit pathways between towering, rustling plants.

He gives a nearby copse of shrubs a suspicious once-over while Edwin takes a short look at a map board, and tries to keep up his vigilance as they head down several shadowy passages. The greenery along the way all looks sort of the same in the dark, but he trusts Edwin's decisive pace to mean that he knows where they're going.

Soon enough, Edwin comes to an abrupt stop, and Charles nearly trips trying to keep himself from tromping right into a sea of lilies. There's surely hundreds of them, and in all sorts of colours - the after-hours lighting is a little faint, but Charles picks out blooms of bright yellow, fiery orange, delicate pink, and soft-looking white, with many more extending into the gloom beyond the path. He reluctantly drops Edwin's hand in order to dig out the herbalism kit, keeping a wary eye on the shadows just in case, but he has to admit his extreme caution feels a little ridiculous in the middle of so much hushed beauty.

Instead, he watches Edwin carefully select a single lily for the spell - one of the speckled orange ones, which reminds him, a bit distastefully, of the Cat King's fur as he scurried away from them. A soft night breeze rustles through the many petals around them with quiet clamour as Edwin opens the kit and gets to work.

Charles usually loves to watch him concoct spells, but there's rather a lot of pressure this time, and he doesn't think either of them enjoy the process much. When Edwin holds up the finished product, however - a sort of herbal paste which Charles can imagine smells quite nice and isn't violently purple for once - he does his best to muster up a smile, and Edwin does the same.

The triumph doesn't last long, though. Once they've run through the spell again and moved to actually begin the casting, Edwin suddenly freezes with his fingers hovering over the tiny dish of mashed up greenery. "Charles, I can't do this."

Charles, who watched him read carefully through the counterspell about six times in the past two minutes, just barely stops himself from reflexively asking What? "Mate, of course you can," he says as reassuringly as he can manage. "You've got it, we're so close!"

Edwin gives him a look that's equal parts impatient and endeared. "No, I mean—I literally cannot cast this spell on myself," he explains, and holds out the dish to Charles. "You'll have to do it."

"Oh, er—" Charles takes it from him with an uneasy glance at the contents. "Right. No problem." And it isn't, really - it's not that he can't do magic, just that Edwin is obviously better at it, and Charles has never met a line of Latin he'd rather not forget.

"There's no incantation," Edwin assures him, as if reading his mind. "It's somatic, so you only have to—here, look." He steps closer and takes Charles' hand again, gently guiding his fingertips into the dish. The lily paste doesn't feel like much of anything, but it sticks to his skin like thick, half-dry paint.

"Draw a circle in the air over the spell," Edwin instructs, gesturing vaguely at the golden streak on his mouth. "Then you make a fist, like you're gathering up the magic, or drawing it out."

"Right," Charles repeats, trying his best to sound enthusiastic.

"And then—when the Cat King did it, he sort of…" Edwin furrows his brow and draws one finger upward across his lips in an uncertain flourish. "Like that. I think."

Charles nods along. "Aces. Can do." Except it doesn't come out quite as convincing as he means it to. He has the distinct sense that if he were alive, his palms would be sweating. Suddenly it's all up to him, and what if he fucks it up somehow?

But Edwin gazes calmly back at him with a look of complete confidence, like he has no doubt at all that Charles can do this. Like his trust is palpable, and he's handing it over, easy as anything.

It's that thought that bolsters Charles enough to actually lift his hand and draw the circle in the air between them. Edwin holds carefully still, and as he closes his fist, Charles feels the magic hooking between his fingers, gathering in his palm. He also feels it begin to squirm, and knows that if he loses focus he'll also lose his grip on it before the final step.

Barely thinking, he drops the dish and lifts his free hand to gently cup Edwin's face, holding him steady. He's dimly aware of Edwin's lips parting softly just before he brushes his lily-covered fingertips across them, and the glowing streak of magic lifts away with the movement as if it was never there at all.

Charles lets out a relieved huff and drops both hands, his arms suddenly heavy with how tense he'd been. Edwin blinks and reaches up to hesitantly touch his mouth. "Is it gone?"

"Yeah, mate," Charles assures him, feeling a smile spreading across his face at the pure relief dawning on Edwin's. "It's gone. Job officially jobbed."

Edwin sighs out a long breath that becomes an exhausted laugh, very nearly doubling over as the stress finally lifts from his rigid shoulders. Charles can't help grinning at him, feeling fairly giddy himself from the massive release of tension - and so, so fucking glad that worked.

Still, there's one more test to make sure they really have outsmarted the Cat King's stupid little spell. "How d'you feel?" he asks as Edwin straightens up.

Edwin beams back at him. "Absolutely none of your business."

They both dissolve into relieved laughter, and Charles isn't sure who moves first or if they've completely synced up when they throw their arms around each other in a tight, gleeful hug.

He never thought he'd be so elated by the idea that Edwin can keep secrets again, but it's an unexpectedly huge weight off his shoulders - not only because he can finally stop thinking so hard about his words before he says them, but also because the sick temptation to ask and know is officially off the table for good. Charles wishes the guilty knot under his ribs would dissolve along with it, but judging by the twinge it gives when he thinks about it, the untangling is going to take a little longer.

When he pulls back, both of them still grinning, the sight of Edwin's mouth without the glowing streak painted across his lips catches Charles off guard for a long electric second before Edwin turns away to pack up the herbalism kit. Charles gives himself a stern shake and begins flicking the last of the flowery paste off his fingers. "So—case closed, then?" he prompts, picking up the empty dish he'd dropped and tossing it into the depths of his backpack. "Where to now?"

"Well," Edwin sighs as he straightens up - he's a bit more put-together now, but still clearly in a much better mood. "We should tell Crystal and Niko what's happened. We did promise to check in."

"Back to Port Townsend?" Charles asks, holding the bag open for Edwin to drop the kit into.

"Unless you've got anything better to spend your night doing," Edwin says, shooting him a playful smile that cracks something in Charles' chest.

He didn't realize just how much he'd missed seeing Edwin without some burden weighing him down - first the cat's bracelet, then the truth spell, both things that Charles had no power to truly help him with - and after what felt like ages of having this divide between them, never on the same page, never on equal ground, now Charles finally has his partner back.

"Not me," Charles says, managing to keep his voice steady even though his eyes feel alarmingly prickly. He turns away under the guise of checking around for any forgotten items to covertly wipe his eyes, and when he opens them he's facing the sea of lilies again. They were already pretty beautiful when they were the key to Edwin's freedom, but they look even moreso now, even in the dark.

Charles hesitates a moment longer, then leans over to pick one - not speckled orange petals this time, but a soft mix of white into dusky pink. He turns back and holds it out to Edwin, who raises an eyebrow. "Just in case," Charles says, hoping it's too dark for Edwin to see the flush crawling up his neck.

Edwin accepts it with a wry little smile that turns tender the longer he looks at the flower. "Thank you, Charles," he says softly - but Charles makes himself look away, putting his full focus into digging a mirror out of his bag so he can't think about anything else.

Back in Washington, where it's only late afternoon, it's Edwin's turn to catch the girls up on what they've been doing. Charles thinks it's a little unfair that there's no yelling or name-calling this time around, only some relieved cheering, but he's still so glad to see Edwin acting like himself again that he can't really bring himself to be upset about it. That, and the fact that Edwin is still carrying the second lily.

The girls don't seem to question the flower, though. Niko does ooh and ahh throughout Edwin's abridged recap of their evening, and Crystal seems fairly impressed as well - though she also keeps shooting Charles a weird stare that he can't decipher the meaning of. Best of all, Edwin's good mood lasts throughout, patient with their questions and almost giddy to show off that he can once again tell lies.

"Jesus, it must've been worse than I thought," Crystal muses at the end of Niko's applause.

"It wasn't exactly a romp, no," Edwin tells her dryly. But he gives Charles a tiny smile before they move on to what she and Niko got up to without them, there and gone quick enough that Charles isn't sure if he was even supposed to see it.

The girls trade off telling what they did and didn't get done, with a lot more in the former category than Charles expected for their first day handling the whole agency. Most of the cases that were up in the air before the Tall Forest debacle now have at least one lead, and they really did do all the paperwork, which Niko proudly flips through for Edwin. And even though Crystal's own case is still sort of on the backburner, she doesn't seem as torn up about it as she once was. Charles figures her new charged-up powers are a main factor there, which she doesn't exactly deny, but Niko insists there's more to it.

"Psychic readings are helpful, but not always a shortcut," she says with a little huff. "We had to do a lot of old-fashioned investigating. We chased a suspect on foot and everything!"

Edwin turns to Crystal with some alarm. "That's what old-fashioned investigation means to you?"

"We learned from the best," she says, batting her eyelashes before she shrugs. "Honestly, it was kind of nice to take a day and just, you know, figure shit out that had nothing to do with me." She cuts a look at the pile of paperwork still stacked on the ironing board. "Not to like, encroach on your territory, or whatever."

"Not at all," Edwin says mildly, tapping the files with his free hand. "It's, ah… appreciated. And it seems you did good work."

Crystal squints at him. "You didn't even read them," she accuses.

Edwin arches an eyebrow. "I said 'seems'."

Biting back a snicker, Charles catches Niko's eye behind their backs, and the two share a secret smile. All back to normal, it seems.

"So, if the board's clear besides my case, and you're still recovering from getting… truth cursed, or whatever," Crystal says, tossing a playfully skeptical look Edwin's way, "we could take a real day off. You said the London office is still closed anyway, right?"

Charles perks up at that. "She has a point," he says, turning to Edwin with what he hopes isn't too transparently desperate a look. "And if I could use a wind-down, you definitely could."

Edwin considers it for a long moment before rolling his eyes. "I suppose it couldn't hurt for the office could stay closed another day," he sighs, and the girls both cheer - but when Edwin glances over at him, it takes barely a second for Charles to clock, with some relief, that Edwin wants just as badly as him to just go home and sit down for a while.

"But hold up," Crystal says before anyone can get far. "If you guys are heading back through the mirror, can you please take some of your shit with you?"

Edwin gives her an affronted frown, but Charles cuts in placatingly. "How much could there possibly be?"

Not quite famous last words, but Charles quickly finds out exactly how many spellbooks, trinkets, and other semi-magical detritus they've accumulated in various places all over both Crystal and Niko's apartments. He tries to give Edwin a little space as the four of them tackle the big tidying job, leaving him to hang out with Niko while he himself follows Crystal around and lets her pile various books and random objects in his arms - some more familiar than others. It's actually kind of a nice end to an extremely long day, if a bit bittersweet, and he can tell Crystal is both relieved at having her space back and a little sad to put the ironing board away.

Charles can certainly relate. He's still very much looking forward to going home with Edwin, but part of him, most likely the guilty tangled-up part, twinges periodically with… dread, maybe, or something close that he doesn't have a name for.

It's not that he's worried they'll get back to the office and immediately start a fight, or something - it's not quite as clear a feeling as that. He just has a sense that there's some sort of residue leftover from dealing with the cat's magic that wasn't fully wiped away by the counterspell.

But maybe it's not even that serious. Maybe he's just tired; he and Edwin have been going more or less non-stop since arriving in Port Townsend, after all. Maybe all he needs is a day of rest and he'll be back in top form. If he tells himself that enough times, maybe it'll even turn out true.

When almost everything has been either tossed through the mirror or pitched into the depths of Charles' backpack, he finds himself alone with Edwin again, following him up to the rooftop to do a final sweep. There's not much up here, just a dusty ceramic ashtray and a rickety folding chair with some stains that Charles hopes are just evidence that it once spent some time in Jenny's shop downstairs.

"All clear," he reports, wandering back to where Edwin is glancing around the raised ledge. "Should we head back to—ah, sorry," he cuts himself off. "I mean—"

Edwin turns to him with an amused smirk. "It's fine, Charles. You do recall casting the counterspell, yes?"

"Er—yeah, I know," Charles says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just… I got used to not asking, so it's, like… reflex, I guess. Sorry, mate."

Huffing a laugh, Edwin pushes away from the ledge and comes closer. He's still holding the lily, and he's still wearing the teal jumper under his coat, Charles notices - hasn't been able to stop noticing, really - and his eyes are warm when Charles looks up. "You haven't done anything warranting an apology," Edwin tells him gently. "Even while navigating the spell, it's not like you asked me anything especially horrible."

"But I could've," Charles insists, louder than he means to. He grimaces as a confused frown blooms across Edwin's mouth. He'd been hoping he could get by without having to mention the residual… whatever it is to Edwin, but he reacted without thinking, and now he doesn't think Edwin is going to let him just wave it off.

"Look," he starts, hating how rough his voice sounds, "with that spell… whoever's asking the questions has got this—this power, right?" Edwin nods, watching Charles in a careful way that makes him feel both hot and cold. "I could feel it without even needing to ask anything, really. It was that hard to ignore, sometimes. And I—I couldn't…"

He trails off, unable to find words for the deep sense of throat-closing wrong that would rise at the thought of forcing Edwin to do anything. "It was almost too much, a couple times," he says instead, quieter. "The temptation, I mean." He swallows hard, face burning with the admission, and drops his gaze. "So… yeah. I guess it's not quite out of my head yet, is all. Sorry."

"Charles," Edwin says, his voice still gentle. "I can assure you, you didn't ask me anything I wasn't okay with answering. Even when I all but told you to ask whatever you wanted." He pauses. "In fact, you've been… more careful than I expected."

Charles' head jerks up, his chest constricting. "What, did you think I'd—"

"No, no," Edwin says quickly, looking alarmed and apologetic. He reaches out to Charles with hesitant fingers that catch on the edge of his sleeve. "I just mean—I was prepared to be abjectly humiliated. Or I tried to prepare, at least. But then you were so insistent on asking not what I told you to ask, but permission to do so."

He manages to look a little wry as Charles meets his gaze. "You're always very… attentive, Charles," he says softly. "I don't want you to think I don't notice, or appreciate it. Because I do."

Charles watches him carefully, hardly daring to move lest it make Edwin retreat. He's not sure they've ever talked about this out loud - it feels like new territory, something unearthed and acknowledged for the first time. "I just wanna keep you safe," he murmurs, unsure if he means it as an excuse or not.

"I know you do," Edwin says, his smile softening, and something in Charles' chest goes tight again. "If it was truly unbearable, I would have stopped the experiment. But you made it—if not easy, then at least… gentle. And I—" He pauses there for barely a breath, his grip tightening on Charles' sleeve. "I trust you, Charles. More than anyone."

Charles already knows that, of course, he doesn't really need Edwin to tell him - but hearing it makes him weak in the knees all the same. Edwin's purposeful honesty is raw and almost hard to look at, like he's allowing Charles a reverent glimpse of something precious.

And he does feel reverent - he'd always imagined Edwin's trust as something heavy, but Charles finds it's actually—easy, somehow, bearing it. Easy as breathing - or not-breathing, he supposes. Easy as it would be to take a step closer to him, for sure. And the now-familiar urge Charles can feel sparking up his spine reminds him that closing the rest of the distance could be easy, too.

But kissing Edwin really doesn't seem like such a strange thought anymore. The longer Charles is faced with the unguarded sincerity in Edwin's eyes, the more certain he is that the curious impulse unfurls from the same instinct-driven part of him that would face obliteration to keep Edwin safe. The two desires - holding him close, protecting him - orbit so close that they run together, and Charles isn't sure anymore if he even wants to pry them apart.

Edwin himself seems oblivious to Charles' racing thoughts, meeting his stunned silence with an almost bashful look. "Damnably ironic that I can't prove it to you without the spell," he mutters dryly.

"I believe you," Charles pushes out, coming back to himself feeling light and loose and pleasantly weak. "'Course I believe you."

"Then will you stop worrying?" Edwin chides, giving his sleeve a playful tug before letting go. "If you really need more proof that the counterspell worked, ask me something, right now."

"Er—" Charles struggles for a moment to lift his eyes from Edwin's familiar little smirk. "Like—right now?"

"Yes, to sort it once and for all," Edwin insists. "A question you know that I know the answer to."

Stifling a grin, Charles can't help wondering if Edwin might just be looking to show off a little more of his restored ability to lie. "Was that you answering for real, or just the spell again?" he asks innocently.

"For real, obviously—ugh, Charles," Edwin scolds, but he's smiling through it. "Be serious. I'm trying to prove a point."

The urge to move closer prickles through him again, and this time, Charles makes no attempt to resist. "What was the first case we solved together?" he asks, halving the small distance between them with one slow step.

"I don't recall," Edwin says, his lips still playfully quirked.

Another step, halved again. "And the year we solved the Riverside Remains case?"

"No idea. Perhaps 2017 or so?"

He seems so pleased with himself that Charles doesn't quite notice just how close he's ended up, not until Edwin's expression shifts, his smile fading as he apparently comes to the same belated realization. Charles' spine tingles at the proximity, his already-flimsy resolve weakening even further—and then collapsing entirely when Edwin locks eyes with him again.

"Can I… tell you something?" he asks quietly. His expression holds the same sort of warm-tinged nervousness as he'd turned on Charles that morning - ages ago, it feels like, but the look is still familiar. And Edwin makes no move to step away. "Now that we're sure I'm no longer under magical duress?"

Charles nods, but then his mouth opens almost unbidden. "Can I ask you something else first?"

Edwin's eyebrows twitch together in confusion. "As part of the experiment, or—?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Neither of them need to breathe, but he feels Edwin take a shuddery breath, his lips parting in surprise. It's then that Charles realizes just how insane he must sound, coming out of nowhere with that, and scrambles to explain. "Er—not as part of the—you don't have to—" The static charge crawling up his spine seems to have flooded his brain as well, and he can't remember if they're playing with truths or lies at the moment, everything mixed up in the lightheadedness he feels with Edwin so close to him.

So close, in fact, because Edwin still hasn't moved away. Charles finally dares to reach out, tentatively sliding his fingers across Edwin's knuckles where he's holding the lily. "Just… only if you want me to, yeah?"

Holding Edwin's gaze, Charles sees the moment that his shock dissolves into a shy sort of determination, and he nods. Even as the small movement sends a burst of giddy nerves flushing through him, Charles feels the weight of Edwin's trust again - this precious thing that's somehow ended up in his hands. What can he do but hold it as carefully and tenderly as he's able?

He leans in at the same moment that Edwin sways toward him, and in the end Charles isn't really sure which of them actually closes the final distance - just that there's a warm, pleasant almost-shock where their lips meet, and then Edwin pulls back with a look of soft wonder that tells Charles he must have felt it too. When their eyes catch, neither of them bother asking before leaning in again.

The second kiss has the same spark, and this time Charles feels it spread like a flush, tingling across his whole body. Edwin's mouth is soft against his, the slide of his lips tentative and sweet. It's possible his memory is a little fuzzy after the thirty-plus years since the last kiss he could physically feel, but Charles could swear kissing Edwin is different, sharper, more exhilarating - as if he and Edwin are alone on a frequency above everything else, the only real things around.

He lifts his free hand to Edwin's waist, slipping past his overcoat to spread his palm against the teal of his jumper. Edwin's breath hitches at the gentle touch, gasping softly into Charles' mouth. Static fills his brain again at the sensation, but Charles somehow manages to pull back just far enough to search Edwin's face for any sign of discomfort. "You okay?"

Edwin nods, looking a little dazed as he clutches at Charles' lapels. He seems barely aware of doing it, or of dropping the flower to free his other hand. "Yes—yes, I'm…" His eyes flick down to Charles' lips more than once as he tries to catch his breath, sending a bolt of warmth through Charles' core. "I'm just… surprised."

Charles can't help the pleased grin that spreads across his face. "Your turn," he prompts, shifting a little closer so that Edwin can relax his grip. "What did you want to tell me?"

After a moment of belated processing, Edwin blinks and lets out a breathless laugh, ducking his head. "Right, um…" When he lifts his gaze, Charles finds that his earlier nervousness has disappeared, leaving only shy pleasure and the bold look in his eyes. "Charles," Edwin says, voice warm, "I'm… in love with you."

Oh. Charles' knees feel weak again, like the only thing keeping him tethered to the rooftop is Edwin's grip on him. If he felt reverent before, he's surely approaching something like worship now - and it still feels easy, especially with Edwin looking at him like this, smiling like he feels lighter just for having said it. Charles kind of wants to hear him say it again.

"Yeah?" he breathes out, draping both his arms around Edwin's waist. Edwin who's in love with him. Mental.

Edwin nods, the tips of his ears going pink. "As you know, I've been, um—coming to understand my feelings on some things," he explains haltingly, his eyes flicking up to meet Charles'. "One of which is… you."

Charles thinks of his apologetic words from earlier - I needed time to be sure of what I was feeling - and his grip twitches impulsively tighter around him. The flush fanning out across Edwin's cheekbones deepens.

"I—I wanted to tell you earlier," Edwin admits in a rush, "but the Cat King—and then I was worried that—well, it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"Sure it does," Charles says automatically, but Edwin still hesitates, his mouth twisting.

An anxious fluttering starts somewhere low in Charles' throat. Surely Edwin didn't think that he would react badly, did he? "Hey," he says, softer, bringing one hand up to place over Edwin's where his grip on Charles' jacket has gone weak. "You can tell me. What were you worried about?"

Edwin holds out another few moments under his patient gaze, then huffs to himself and gives in. "I thought I might be compelled to reveal it under the spell," he admits, "and you'd…"

He pauses there, dithering, then lets out the rest of his breath in a sigh. "I don't know what I thought you'd do." His gaze dips down into the small space left between them and his lips quirk wryly. "Not this, certainly."

Charles snickers along. "And why not?" he asks, grinning - but it seems to hit Edwin differently, his mirth fading.

"Well, because you… you might not, um, return my feelings," he says stiltedly, already shaking his head at Charles' deepening frown. "Which—you don't have to. I mean, I just needed you to know. You don't have to feel the same way."

He starts to slide his fingers out from under Charles' hand and Charles reacts without thinking, the anxious flutter suddenly flying desperately out of his mouth. "What if I do?"

They both freeze, Charles to process his own words and Edwin to fix him with a breathless, confused stare. For a moment Charles considers trying to backtrack, but quickly decides against it - it's not that he didn't mean to say it, more that he just probably should've thought about it for, like, literally any amount of time beforehand. In fact, now that it's out, he's actually kind of glad someone brought it up - even if he didn't expect that someone would be him. He really needs to work on that thinking-before-speaking stuff.

More urgent, though, is the vulnerable look on Edwin's face, wavering in a way that has Charles feeling like his heart is trying to get out of his chest, regardless of how true or possible that may be. All day he's stuck by Edwin's side because it felt right, and now it's led him all the way here, to the one final question left between them. He takes his hands back just to replace them on Edwin's shoulders, holding his gaze and hoping Edwin can sense where he's going with this. "Ask me."

It takes a second, but a small, cautious smile slowly unfurls across Edwin's mouth. "Do you… feel the same way?"

For an insane moment, Charles wishes they had the Cat King handy to cast the truth spell again - on him, this time, so he could give Edwin an honest answer without having to think about it. But he knows this is too important to be determined any other way than by searching for the answer himself and choosing to give it over willingly.

So he considers it. Does he feel the same? It seems like a stupid question - he's certainly feeling something this close to Edwin, or several somethings: the warmth of his touch, for one thing, and the tender pressure of his mouth, the way he tenses and relaxes under Charles' hands. But not all of it is physical, or even all that new.

The soothing familiarity of Edwin's presence, the relief of knowing him and being known so well, the soul-deep importance of keeping him from harm - Charles has spent thousands of days with those feelings, never questioning them. Now, of course, he can't imagine how he never saw the throughline. It might not be exactly what Edwin feels, but it's gotta be close, hasn't it?

"I… think so," Charles says slowly.

Even through his nervousness, Edwin manages to look exasperated. "You think so?"

"Well, I've only just started mulling it over, haven't I?" Charles points out with a frown. "But I'm pretty sure. I mean, you're my best mate, so. It makes sense." Loving Edwin, being in love with Edwin - the thought comes easily, already familiar. He meets Edwin's gaze with a slow smile. "Feels right, and all that."

Edwin manages a somewhat dazed smile back, but still visibly hesitates before speaking. "Will you say it?" he asks, then clamps his lips together like he wishes he didn't - or, Charles thinks, watching his cheeks flush, more like he's asked for something he doesn't think he'll get. Charles' whole being aches at the thought, and the words are right there when he reaches for them.

"I'm in love with you, too," he murmurs into the space between them. It really does feel right to say, feels true, even - and it makes Edwin look at him with such helpless wonder that Charles already wants to say it again.

"And will you—" Edwin hesitates again, and even though Charles has a pretty good idea of what he's about to ask, he revels in watching him work up to saying it. He can't really help swaying closer though, so by the time Edwin whispers the words - "Kiss me again?" - Charles is all too glad to tip forward and do so.

It's somehow better than it was even a few minutes ago. Charles' whole body seems to fizzle at every point of contact - Edwin's hands against his chest, the soft brush of his nose against Charles' cheek, the edge of sweetness Charles can just barely taste in the slide of his lips. It feels like some long-dormant sense has awoken within him, something attuned specifically to Edwin and the warmth he seems to radiate.

At the same time, it doesn't really feel like much has changed between them, somehow. Despite the revelation, the excitement, the full-body sense of doing something right - they're still here, still together like always, even with the whole world having tilted around them. There's even still a case to solve. And what else is there, really? What else could Charles possibly need?

Well—he supposes he could have Edwin just a little closer.

It's not until he winds an arm around Edwin's waist and Edwin clutches at him, making a soft noise against his mouth, that Charles abruptly remembers Edwin's first ever kiss happened only recently. Valiantly ignoring the thrill that runs down his spine at the thought, Charles decides he should perhaps pump the brakes, and gently pulls back - not far, just enough to put a breath between them and see that Edwin has that helpless look again, flushed and bright-eyed.

"I didn't think it'd feel like this," Edwin admits quietly, only barely loosening his grip on Charles' coat.

Charles raises his eyebrows. "What, kissing?"

"All of it," Edwin says, a little sheepishly. "I honestly—I didn't think this far ahead. Once I knew how I felt, I wanted you to know, but… I didn't get much further than that."

"Well, now I know," Charles says with an easy shrug. "So I think we're doing alright. And I mean, we've got… kind of a long time to figure the rest out, haven't we?"

He watches Edwin consider that with a little smile, and in the meantime lets himself sink into the pleasantly electric feeling of having him so close. They aren't quite pressed flush together, but if Edwin had a heartbeat, Charles would probably be able to feel it. The thought is somehow heady, making his spine tingle again. He wonders if Edwin has been feeling the same things as him all along, the phantom sensations as well as the staticky, nigh-physical ones that drew Charles so close.

He supposes he could just ask, and if Edwin wants to tell him, he will - and that thought sends an exhilarating warmth flooding through him, potent enough that he can't help grinning about it.

"I suppose we could go back to the office now," Edwin says, drawing his attention back.

"Yeah, if you like," Charles says easily, then notices Edwin's expectant look. "Er—unless…?"

"Perhaps we should let Crystal and Niko know we're leaving, then," Edwin prompts, the tease softened by the smile curving onto his lips.

"Oh, yeah." He'd almost forgotten that there were other people in the world besides just him and Edwin, for a minute there. He'd also forgotten that they were still on the roof. "Right, we should."

But he still hesitates. He doesn't really want to let go of Edwin, is the thing, and when they shyly catch each other's eye, Edwin also seems reluctant to step away. Giddy affection wells up so suddenly in Charles that he can't help but pull him close again, hiding his grin against the side of Edwin's neck. Edwin is a little more flushed when he pulls away, but smiles fondly back at him before they agree to actually disentangle.

Charles misses the warmth as soon as he steps back from him. But it's a necessary evil, he consoles himself. The sooner they go and sort out the last of their things, the sooner they can go back to the office and completely relax.

It'll be a real homecoming this time, triumphant like it was supposed to be, and with the promise of a whole day to themselves, to boot - and isn't that an entrancing thought? The two of them alone together like so many other times, but somehow wildly different? Anticipation trills through him as he imagines how it will feel to give in again to the magnetic draw between them - to pull Edwin down on the office couch, maybe, and show him just how sure he is of this whole being in love thing…

And with that to look forward to, surely he can get his head back in the game for just a little longer.

They start to head for the stairs, but Edwin doubles back almost immediately to retrieve the lily from where he'd dropped it. He smiles when he returns to Charles' side, eyes crinkling fondly at the corners. "Shall we?" he asks, and any miniscule iota of doubt that Charles had left turns to dust as Edwin takes his hand. Definitely in love, then. He lets Edwin lead the way, grinning so hard he's almost surprised it doesn't ache.

"Think we should send the Cat King a gift bouquet after all?" he asks as they step through the metal door. "Something non-toxic, for his—well, 'help' might be kind of a strong word, actually."

Edwin snorts. "To say the least."

"Still," Charles hums as they start down the stairs. "I dunno, I could probably find him a nice tin of sardines, or something."

Stopping short, Edwin gives him an incredulous look. "Charles, just earlier today you were ready to poison him."

"Oi, don't get it twisted! That was your idea."

Edwin rolls his eyes, then uses his grip on Charles' hand to back him up against the stair corridor, crowding in close. The rest of Charles' argument immediately fizzles out, along with the rest of the thoughts in his brain. Edwin seems to sense this, based on his smile, and leans in to kiss Charles again, no longer tentative but so, so sweet.

Charles is sure he doesn't have a single coherent thought between that long second and the next when Edwin pulls away, looking a little pink but mostly fond. "Can we discuss this later?" Edwin asks.

Charles can't help himself. "Depends. Can you do that again?"

"Depends," Edwin hums, raising an eyebrow at him. "Can you be patient enough to find out?"

The words send a syrupy shiver melting its way down through Charles' entire body, which he has to admit is pretty convincing. Once he's sure his legs aren't going to give out, he even manages to nod - Edwin is usually right about these things, after all.

"Thank you," Edwin says primly. "Hold this, please."

Charles numbly accepts the lily he hands over and stands as still as he can while Edwin straightens his rumpled sweater. He also smooths out Charles' lapels where he'd tugged them askew, then takes the flower back with a smile and starts down the stairs again, leading Charles by the hand. Back towards Crystal, Niko, and the mirror that will take them home.

Charles follows, just a little wobbly on his feet and very glad for Edwin's steady grip keeping him from falling right through the floor. It would be quicker than taking the stairs, to be fair, but he can be patient. He waited all day to hear what Edwin wanted to tell him, after all. He can definitely manage the few minutes it will take to say their goodbyes. He just has to follow Edwin and—well, he's never really done anything else, has he?

Edwin glances back just then, like he knows exactly what Charles is thinking. As he watches the lovely familiar smile bloom across Edwin's mouth, Charles decides patience might be kind of overrated after all. He hurries the two steps to catch up to his side and finds Edwin already turning to meet him halfway, grinning like he can't help it, laughing as Charles ducks in close to kiss it off his face.