#and then monty decides to leave and go to the agency and edwin has no clue who thomas is because like theyve only called him cat king

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

"I stayed by Thomas for a week," Monty said quietly.

Edwin pinched his eyebrows together. "Thomas? Who's that?"

Monty stared at him with a confused look. "The Cat King? The guy that likes you?? The one that greeted me with a kiss????"

"Ohhhhhh, he has a name," Edwin said, still processing. "That's awfully good to know. How was your stay?"

"On the first night, he told me that he's not good with birds, but he's glad I'm not a fish or else he would not be able to control his impulses around me," Monty said, shrugging. "Cheers to not being a fish," he raised his mug of tea.

"Cheers," Edwin nodded, clinking it with his own.

[littlechaoticwitch]

Dead Boy Detectives Swap-AU but a little towards the left

-Edwin and Charles both attended St. Hilarion's at the same time, where they were paired up as roommates. During their second year, Charles saved Edwin from being kidnapped by a group of bullies trying to play a cruel prank, and a few months later, Edwin saved Charles by recusing him from the lake after the same group of bullies threw him in there. When both were sixteen years old, they escaped their horrible home lives and found a cheap flat in London right above an old antique store. They started up their detective agency soon afterwards, using their combined gifts to help solve supernatural cases. They still run away from Death whenever she appears, but more of the fear of what she might do for "taking over her job".

-Edwin grew up in a religious cult where he was targeted by the other members (including his own parents) for being gay and being interested in magical studies, which would eventually lead him into becoming a sorcerer. The cult was led by a maniac named Sal, who was obsessed with dolls and spiders, and he took a particular "liking" to Edwin. According to Edwin, the village where he once lived is "the closest thing to Hell on Earth".

-Charles grew up in an abusive household, as his father had grown up in the "poor" area of the same village as the religious cult but moved out when he went to university. After getting an Indian girl pregnant during a one-night stand, they were quick to get married and he forced her to give up her gifts. But she still taught their son how to wield his magic in secrecy, and over the years, she gave him with enchanted items disguised as normal gifts.

-Both are currently 25 years old, with Edwin working at a bookshop in Soho and Charles works as a professional tattoo artist.

-Crystal is a 18-year-old psychic from the 1980s, whose body had been in possession of a demon she had been in a relationship with. Once the boys exorcise the demon, they manage to free her soul from the prison within her own mind, but the demon took her memories, causing her to be unable to pass on. Ultimately, the boys come to the conclusion that due to her being "involved" with a demon, if Death was ever to come to collect her one day, Crystal would be in real danger of being sent to Hell for her actions, regardless if she was in control or not. Her relationship with Charles is more one-sided on her part; while she has a major crush on him and mistakes him comforting her as him being flirtatious, he is quick to set up boundaries when she tries to kiss him after the lighthouse case.

-Niko is another spirit haunting Port Townsend, though her story goes back to the late 1910s. A grieving 18-year-old girl whose father passed away, she learned that the yōsei could resurrect the dead and decided to go find the bewitching spirits. Unfortunately, this would lead to her being captured, tortured, and killed by the spirits before being trapped in a snow globe; this snow globe would eventually find its way to Port Townsend in the mid-2000s, where she was accidentally freed and decided to act as a benevolent spirit to the young children, almost becoming a guardian angel. Much like in canon, she loves playing matchmaker to the town locals (as her mother was the local nakōdo in their village), but she has a better success rate in bringing together soulmates.

-Monty Finch is another tenant staying in the same apartment complex as Edwin and Charles. A quiet 21-year-old astrology student, he took a break from school after the death of his mother; during this time, he is possessed by a tree spirit to lure new victims to the woods but his unwillingness to leave his room had left it to starve. After the detectives save him (and his hair turns white from the shock), he unofficially joins the group as their fifth member.

-Florence Knight (aka the Night Nurse) is the property manager of the apartment the boys rent out while stuck in Port Townsend. While she is quite strict and practical about everything she does (including her job), she does have a soft spot for children. Niko and Monty work together to set her up on a date with her secret admirer; while the local librarian uses this as a chance to stalk her next victim, it is revealed that Asha was the one sending the letters.

-The Night Butcher (aka Jenny Green) is an executioner for the Lost & Found Department. Desperate for a promotion, she sees the capture of Crystal (who should have already been sent to Hell) and Niko (whose soul could not be detected due to being trapped) as the opportunity of a lifetime. As well, she can also "arrest" Edwin and Charles for basically taking over her job.

-The Crow Queen (aka Esther Finch) is portrayed as a younger woman, but she is practically the same personality-wise. As the queen of Port Townsend's crow population, she takes delight in toying with others and playing both sides, though she has a deep hatred for the local warlock. She tries to court Charles upon their first meeting but after being refused, the Crow Queen forces him to gather 100 feathers from different crows as punishment, forcing him to wear a necklace that keeps him trapped in town. In the end, she does develop some level of affection for Charles, giving him buttercup flowers during their last meeting. She also might have some connection to Dream of the Endless.

-Thomas King (aka the Cat King) is a cat-sìth who uses his powers to silently rule over Port Townsend, as he hunts and devours lost souls to keep himself alive. The son of an accused witch, he took it upon himself to learn everything he could about magic, but over time, his goals became twisted and self-centered; once he learned he could live forever by eating the souls of the dead, he performed a ritual to turn himself into a cat-sìth. He is currently turned himself into a cat six times, and he uses magic on his familiar to help in his plans to destroy the detectives. He takes a particular interest to Niko's soul due to her trauma of being tortured and killed for almost a hundred years.

-Maxine is the familiar of Thomas King, where she was once a mouse kept under his control. As a human, she comes off a cottagecore bookworm with a deep love for history and flower language; all of this is used to help her get closer to Crystal, though she does end up gaining real feelings for the ghost girl (and also helps Crystal overcome the internalized issues with her bisexuality). Her relationship with Thomas is similar to an abusive father, with her being ultimately killed when she refuses to help him anymore.