#dbda ficlet

[read-write-thrive]

Hospitals had never been the favorite location of either of the Dead Boy Detectives, and they usually refrained from even approaching the premises when at all possible. In the early days of the agency, it was too risky— too many dying or newly dead individuals meant Death was nearly impossible to escape, after all. Even now, with an expanded agency under the influence of the Night Nurse, and as such without immediate risk of hell if they strayed too close to Death, they still tried to avoid hospitals out of habit and for the comfort of all involved—the boys never knew when someone might see them (and it never stopped stinging when someone suddenly did) and it wasn’t exactly easy for the girls to just walk into a hospital without rousing suspicion. It was easier in some ways, these years later, now that the girls were adults and less likely to be seen as truants, but that newfound freedom did not bring with it any sudden desire to see what they were missing behind hospital doors.

All this caution and hesitation was ignored when Charles tapped on the mirror to check on his parents and was met with an unexpected chaos. A heart attack, from what the paramedics were saying as they wheeled the old man out on a stretcher, Charles’s mother and their neighbor following behind in her car. Charles didn’t witness the incident itself, pure luck on the timing, but the aftermath was a flurry of commotion that left him reeling.

He wandered back to the main space of their headquarters (a bigger place than what it once was, courtesy of the girls’ tiring of the boys being unreachable during a crisis or two and deciding to go all in on a shared flat) in a daze. Charles didn’t hide his checking in on his parents anymore, but still preferred to do it alone. Thankfully, his friends were kind, wonderful people who were happy to leave him to it. Said wonderful friends, however, were also quick to notice something wrong.

“Charles?” Edwin, naturally, was the first to notice Charles’s return and immediately put his book aside.

The girls, engrossed in a new show on the other side of their living room, snapped up in their own ways.

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

Charles swallowed down the mixture of emotions threatening to drown him, “It’s my dad, he’s had a heart attack.” He screwed his face up in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to spill out. Why was he crying? The bastard made his life miserable—

“Good.” Crystal was the first to comment. Niko slapped at her arm. Crystal put her hands up, “What? He was awful!”

“It’s still his dad!” Niko protested, “You can’t just say that!”

Charles tuned out their bickering. Everything felt a little tuned out, actually. And then Edwin was in front of him, hands on his shoulders.

“-love? Charles?”

“Hmm?” Charles tried to silence his whirring emotions.

“Are you alright?”

The Charles of even several years ago would have been quick to brush it all off with a smile. But he’d grown since then.

“Honestly? Not sure. Is that bad? Crystal’s right, he was a dick.”

“And Niko makes a very good point as well. He’s still your father.”

The tears were back again. Edwin pulled him in for a hug before Charles could say another word.

The girls had also quieted, alternating between watching the exchange and speaking through meaningful glances.

Niko was the one to break it, “Did you want to see him?”

The very idea shocked Charles, going rigid in Edwin’s arms.

“He might not even be dying, and going to a hospital is recipe for trouble—“ Charles responded slowly, as if waiting for someone to agree with him and take the weight of the decision off of him.

“I mean, a heart attack is probably close enough to death even if it doesn’t get him.” Crystal contributed.

“And our avoidance of hospitals doesn’t matter if you’d like to go see him. The Night Nurse’s lone positive trait is her protection from Death’s clutches, after all.” Edwin said into Charles’s curls.

“I-“ Charles gave himself a breath, “I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

“We don’t have to.” Crystal said softly.

“Yeah, we can just have our movie night and distract you, or if you want to talk to us but not go see him…” Niko backed her girlfriend up, trailing off into the silence.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Edwin echoed, sighing, “But I don’t want you to regret anything, either.”

“That’s true, it might be good for closure…” Niko chimes in once again, positive in the face of it all and determined to see Charles cheered up as well.

“Fuck that. You don’t owe him closure. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go.” Crystal’s anger was not what it once was, but she had her moments, particularly when abusers were the topic of discussion. Thankfully she seemed determined to keep her composure.

“Your call, Charles.” Edwin said, pulling away from the embrace but not letting Charles go just yet. He obviously had more to say, if the turn of his mouth was any indication, but he was all softness regardless.

“Could be my last chance, innit?” Charles said lowly, obviously not thrilled at the prospect, “If the bastard goes…”

Edwin’s face shifted, and Charles knew he’d guessed Edwin’s unspoken comment correctly. Still, Edwin’s tone and posture were the same, “No one expects it of you. And we’ll support you regardless of what you decide.”

Charles had a distant feeling of pride that Edwin had gotten better at this sort of thing. He’d tell him that another time. Once this was all over and the world made sense again.

After a moment of reflection, Charles sighed, “I think I’d like to go. Might help me heal or closure or whatever, yeah?”

The girls were up, pulling on their coats and shoes without a second thought. Charles felt monumentally lucky to have them.

Including the boy who held him still, voice low and meeting his eyes, “Do you want all of us with you? We can stay behind if you’d rather do this alone.”

Charles shook his head with his same sad smile, “I don’t want to think what might happen if I do all this alone, mate. Though you’ll have to forgive me if I lose my cool.”

Edwin clearly saw through the attempt at a joking diversion but smiled regardless, “Very well. Do you know which hospital we’re visiting?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably closest to their place, yeah?” Charles guessed, scrambling his thoughts trying to remember which hospital he’d been taken to when he’d broken his arm as a kid. It was so long ago, and so much had happened since…

Edwin once again shook him out of his thoughts, “Some investigation is in order, then. Niko? Crystal?”

“On it!” Niko chirped, already deep into her phone, Crystal close behind.

After some internet sleuthing, the girls had acquired the address of the nearest hospital to the Rowland family home and were taking the long way there while the boys readied themselves in front of the mirror.

“Are you ready?” Edwin double checked, hand outstretched.

Charles shook himself, “Not sure I’d ever be, love, but let’s get on with it.”

Edwin pulled him in for a quick kiss on the cheek, a sincere smile, and then through the mirror they went.

—-

They stepped out of a mirror in one of the many bathrooms in the hospital complex, disoriented by the amount of beings (alive and dead alike) as they tried to navigate the halls. The A&E department was the worst, with traumatic deaths creating a perpetual plethora of ghosts. Of course, this was also the first place they needed to check.

The boys held hands tightly as they went, both wound tight by the noise and the blood and the general atmosphere of the place. It was far from the most dangerous place they’d been in their decades together, but that brought little comfort in the face of it all.

Phasing through the various doors and curtains, it was ultimately clear that if Charles’s father was in this hospital, he’d been moved elsewhere. They split momentarily, with Edwin going to find a map of the hospital while Charles waited at the nurse’s station to see if he could get any leads on his family.

It soon became clear that there was simply too much going on for Charles to glean any real information, and he was ready to give up and find Edwin when the next phone call to the desk came from a familiar phone number and gave way to a familiar voice. Niko’s voice was clear on the other end, and just loud enough for Charles to overhear. The nurse gave the information with little questioning, informing all involved that Mr. Rowland had just been moved to a private room on a different floor. Charles didn’t stick around to listen to what exact department the man was in, or what the prognosis was—as soon as he knew the number he was off to find Edwin.

It was quieter in this department. Less urgent. Which meant something significant that Charles was pointedly not thinking about, less that send him into another tailspin. Thankfully Edwin’s presence was grounding beside him.

A nurse left the room as they found it, giving a glimpse through the doorway. Charles’s mother sat at his father’s bedside, accompanying neighbor at her side. They couldn’t see his father (or his father’s ghost for that matter) from their vantage point.

Edwin gave one last squeeze of Charles’s hand to get his attention, “I can give you a moment alone if you’d like.”

“Don’t you dare.” Charles tried to joke, but his voice didn’t seem to cooperate. Edwin’s eyes saddened, but he gave a firm nod and gestured for Charles to take the lead.

The man of the hour looked frail against the white sheets. He was awake, but by the look of his eyes he was definitely on his way out. There was a bulky mask over his nose and mouth, IV in his arm, heart monitor dragging along beside him. Charles's mother sat quietly, holding his hand between two frail ones of her own.

Charles didn't think his emotions could get any more complicated, and then his father's eyes found him. Then Edwin. Then back to him. He rasped behind the mask, Charles's mother shushing him gently.

"Hi dad." Charles sighed more than said, standing awkwardly at the foot of his bed and gripping Edwin's hand so hard he wouldn't be surprised if he managed to hurt him despite all the ghost technicalities.

Another rasp, this time accompanied by a frail hand gesturing towards the boys. Charles nearly slumped in relief when his mother glanced their way but returned to murmuring to her husband rather than reel back in shock. She had some time left, at least. His father, however, continued to try to speak.

Seeing his mother's distress, Charles felt himself snap into his protective mindset without thought, snarking, "Just give it up, mate. They can't see us—you're the only one dying here, so only you get the honour. Trust me, I'd rather talk to mum than you any day, but I cant say I'm too torn up about you going first. Maybe she'll get to have some happy years without you."

The man thankfully stopped his rasping, but his eyes emoted enough that Charles knew he heard him. It gave him the confidence to keep going, never quite sure what his next word was going to be but glad to say it anyway.

"Not that you asked, but I've been having a great time these last thirty, forty years. Yeah my death was awful, don't get me wrong. Kinda wish you got even a taste of that, for all the shit you put me through… Actually, do heart attacks hurt?" He turned his question towards Edwin, who had such a complicated expression that Charles immediately decided that the question wasn't that important, "Doesn't matter now, I guess. But yeah, my afterlife has honestly been better than my life ever was. Not only do I not have to deal with your bullshit, but I've also found people who actually care about me.

"Like this, right here, is Edwin," Charles swung their held hands upwards in an attempt at a wave, earning a slightly hysterical chuckle from Edwin, "He found me dying in that attic, showed me kindness as I died, and I've been by his side ever since. He's the best thing that ever happened to me—"

Charles took a breath as his voice cracked, Edwin's hand squeezing his in silent support. Charles didn't look over to try and keep it together a bit longer.

"He's the love of my—well, love of my afterlife. And I know you’d hate that, or at least hated all that when I was alive. I remember your rants about how all those people dying deserved it. Shouting at the telly like they personally offended you just by existing. Do you still think like that, all these years later? Hell, now here you are, dying on a hospital bed while your queer son laughs at you. What a twist!" Charles laughs, but it doesn't sound right even to himself. He, once again, pointedly doesn't look at Edwin. Looking at Edwin means dropping the brave face, and he's got a few more things to say first.

“You know, you’ll think this is weak or whatever, but I checked in on you and mum over the years. Neither of you could see me, and I never stuck around long, but I wanted—no, I needed to see. If I was the only one you beat, if you’d turn to mum now that I was gone. If you felt any remorse when I died. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I’d seen you raise your hand to her. Probably taken up Edwin here’s offer to haunt the shit out of you.”

“I never—“

“Not in those words, love, I know, I know. But you meant it like that and you know it. Anyway, thankfully I never saw it. And she didn’t cower like I did, or hide any bruises, so I figured you were safe there. As for remorse, well, never really saw that either. I was bitter and angry those first few years over that. Thankfully Edwin here kept me busy. And now I can’t really be arsed, especially now that you’re dying and I can’t find much remorse either. Angry it took you so long, maybe.”

Charles once again looked at his mother, at the tears on her cheeks and her face turned in silent prayer.

“Even if you never beat her, I still wish you’d given her more time without you. Did you ever visit her family? You shot it down every time she even hinted at it when I was alive. And she’d smile and move on like it didn’t hurt her to hear that the man she married hated her family that much. You know, I used to promise her that I would take her to see them again. I’d tell her that once I was grown up we’d run away and live in India where you wouldn’t care enough to chase after us. She’d swat me for that. Disrespecting you. It always came back to you. Which is just how you wanted it, right? The whole world revolving around you? So fucking glad I got out of there. I shouldn’t have had to die for that, but whatever. It let me live free of you. And soon enough I won’t have to worry about you at all.”

Shoes squeaked obnoxiously right outside the door. Charles glanced up just in time to see Niko giving him a thumbs up as Crystal pulled her away from the glass. Turning back, he was glad to see his mother hadn’t turned away from her husband. No need to confuse her or get the girls in trouble.

Charles sighed and turned back to his father, “Not really sure what else to say here. Edwin? Any ideas?”

Edwin thankfully took the playful question as seriously as Charles meant it, “Hmm. You could tell him about hell if you’d like to be especially vindictive. Or take the moral high ground and forgive him for all he did to you. Crystal and I would also be happy to curse him for all he did if you’d like. Literally or figuratively.”

Charles genuinely laughed at how his father’s eyes widened, “While that sounds tempting, he’s already on his way out. All we’d do is freak out my mum.”

Edwin gave him a soft smile, “Of course. Just a suggestion.”

He returned the smile and squeezed his hand in thanks before turning back to his father, “Right. Well dad, I’m glad I caught you before Death did. I won’t speak to hell or anything, don’t want to jinx it, but I hope you get what you deserve. I’m not going to stick around to find out. And I won’t forgive you, either. You were a right bastard and I still struggle with getting you out of my head even after literally dying. So you don’t deserve my forgiveness, honestly. I’ll keep an eye on mum, but that’s for her and my sake, not for yours. Probably won’t go to your funeral or any of that, either. I’ll be a little mad if they bury you next to me, but those are just bones by now so I guess it doesn’t really matter. Yeah. I think that’s it. No forgiveness, no love, just hope you get what you deserve and that I never have to see you again. That about sums it up.”

Edwin squeezed his hand again, drawing his attention, and speaking softly, “Does that mean you’d like to go? We can wait if you want to be sure.”

Charles once again felt overwhelmed with it all, particularly with how lucky he was to have Edwin. He didn’t want to start crying here, so he just nodded and pulled Edwin with him out of the room.

“How’d it go?” Crystal asked from her seat in the hall chair, Niko nodding next to her.

“He’s dying alright. Gave him a piece of my mind. But I’m ready to never think about him again, honestly.” Charles tried to make light of it, but it was clear none of them bought it. He blinked up towards the ceiling to keep the tears away just a bit longer.

“Once we get back to the apartment, expect plenty of hugs from us.” Niko informed him, eyes glancing down the hall at the others down the way.

Charles smiled, “Noted. Sorry to make you come all the way out here, guys.”

“Nope, none of that—“ Crystal started, but was cut off by nurses suddenly rushing towards the room, obvious some alarm or something had been pulled. The girls stood in a rush to get out of the way.

“We’ll see you back at the apartment!” Niko called back to the boys as they took their leave.

Edwin held his arm out, the way he did when he wanted Charles to feel especially cherished, “Shall we?”

Charles turned very purposefully away from the door and took the offered arm with a thankful smile. He would need to have a proper cry and rant and rave about all of this later, he was sure. He’d come to learn that all those complicated emotions don’t just go away when you ignore them. But, for now, he was happy to hold onto his partner and get the bloody hell out of this hospital.

~

EDIT: now with part 2 !!

[nix-nihili]

“You okay there, mate?”

“Simply… tired.” Edwin waved Charles off, already picking himself up from the chair he’d collapsed into, an errant sort of exhaustion wearing him down. The day out had stretched on longer than we would have liked and he had only felt the smallest hint of relief at having returned to the Agency before he caught sight of the still-expanding case list. It was shaping up to be a long few weeks at this rate, and as much as Edwin lived for solving each mystery, each case, each unfinished business, he missed having the scarce hours to himself. 

No. Correction, not himself.

He missed spending time with Charles alone.

“Woah, Eds” – Charles was suddenly across the room, gently pushing Edwin back into the chair – “you can take it easy for a few ticks, yeah?”

Charles’ hands held him in place and Edwin didn’t have the energy to fight him off but he still tried to say, “But-”

“Nuh-uh,” Charles tutted, leaning over him, and from here, Edwin could count each eyelash, trace the perfectly put eyeliner, and watch escaped curls fall onto Charles’ forehead. “I need the break as well. This way, we both decompress.”

Then Edwin was being pushed further into the inviting chair as Charles leaned in, non-existent huffs of breath intermingling before Edwin’s lips were captured in a kiss, soft and sweet. He sighed into it, felt his limbs go lax and his head settle as he kissed back, lifting an arm to settle it against Charles’ waist where he bent.

Charles pulled back first, smiling down at him, eyes half-lidded. “Alright?”

It had been too short but it was all they could afford at the minute. He nodded, filing the memory away. Not for rainier days, because Charles would always be there on those too, but just because he could. Because he wanted to save each one.

“Perfect.”

[luna-ainsworth]

You ever think that Edwin's death would become kind of an urban legend around the neighborhoods of St.Hilarion, and at some point there must have been thrill seekers who came to the now abandoned boarding school and tried to see if they could summon him?

The first time that happened, it was a slow night at the Dead Boy Detectives office, a case had just been concluded, Edwin was reading a book aloud while Charles relaxed next to him, fatigue slowly ebbing away with Edwin's soothing voice when suddenly, Edwin started to radiate a strange green light that quickly grew in intensity until it was too blinding to look at. Charles closed his eyes, his hand instinctively raised up to shield him from the extreme brightness. He heard himself calling for Edwin still, seeking a response, an explanation. The light vanished as suddenly as when it came. The air is quiet, too quiet and uncomfortable for Charles to continue looking away. He turned around for Edwin.

Edwin was gone. Charles began to panic.

They had spent all these years together solving supernatural mysteries and running away from Death. The cases didn't always draw to a successful close, yet they had never failed to escape from her.

Maybe this time they weren't so lucky.

But something wasn't right. Charles paced himself through the panic in his mind. If Death did come for them, shouldn't she haven taken them both?

Charles was still in the office, no blue light in sight.

Blue light, Charles repeated to himself. The light that got Edwin was green.

The gears in his brain are turning. He began to search the entire office book by book to find one that wrote about supernatural lights and their meaning.

It dawned on Charles that Edwin was summoned by an occult ritual. Which meant it was possible that Edwin was being trapped somewhere.

Without delay, Charles grabbed his backpack and headed to the mirror to search for Edwin. He had no idea where to start, but he would turn the whole world upside down for Edwin if he had to. He guessed he would figure it out along the way. After all, he too, was a detective.

It was right when Charles already in front of the mirror that Edwin emerged from it. Charles couldn't help but to yank Edwin into a tight hug.

Edwin told he was summoned to their old boarding school. The people who summoned him, he said, were a bunch of curious young boys and girls who, firstly couldn't see him at at and secondly, they clearly had no clue what they were doing, for the place they did the summoning was the same place where Edwin was sacrificed to a demon in Hell. The whole situation made him shudder, the horror of that faithful night an aching scar in his soul, not to mention the possibility of things going south during the summoning and those young people would suffer the same fate as him, Edwin too would get dragged back to Hell one more time. Lucky for them and for Edwin as well, no demon was summoned, but one of them had accidentally broken the salt circle that was confining Edwin in, just enough so that he can slip through and quietly escape through a mirror in the rest room. Edwin explained he didn't want to encourage them by making a fuss and thus made his presence be known.

The second time it happened, it was both of them that get summoned. The destination was that attic where they first met years ago. They came to an agreement that this time they should make a fuss, because the living apparently wouldn't just let them rest in peace. Before getting here they were very much engrossed in their own peculiar little concert, with Charles singing some of his favorite songs from the 80s that Edwin couldn't quite get the meaning, and Edwin humming the classical pieces that were popular back in his day.

And so they carried out some paranormal activities just to give those annoying people a proper scare. Charles and Edwin wrapped up the incident when the last of them scrambled out of the attic and fled from the building.

Back to the office, Edwin decided to conduct a thorough research on anti-summoning spell to ensure the same ordeal wouldn't happen again in the future.

[shaylogic]

"Oi, don't wait up for me, yeah?" Charles informs Edwin, "I'll be in Crystal's room all night."

"Charles! I'm surprised at you," Edwin exclaims, looking flustered.

"It's not like that, mate--she's been having nightmares about David and I've agreed to keep her company. Said she feels safer with a friend looking after her, y'know?" He shifts from one leg to the other, one hand rubbing his other arm, absent-mindedly. "It's not a big deal, alright? Just didn't want you wondering after me." He shrugs non-chalantly and gives his partner a gentle clap on the shoulder before re-entering Crystal's room.

She's already changed into her sleep clothes and curled up under the covers. Crystal meets Charles' eyes and pats the bed beside her. With a small smile, he approaches and sits on the side of the bed, leaning on one hand and looking down on her.

"Would you like to talk before bed, or should I leave you to it?"

Seeing him only sit on the edge, she takes his hand and guides him to lay down next to her. "C'mere. Just lay with me, okay? If you don't mind. . .?"

His eyebrows raise and a twinkle of excitement crosses his eyes that he fails to suppress.

Crystal rolls her eyes at him and he chuckles. She pulls his arm over her side and holds onto him as best she can, letting out a long sigh. Charles feels a fluttering sensation in his chest, like a memory of a quickening heartbeat.

"Thanks for doing this. I'm sure it'll be less interesting than however you usually spend your nights, and I'm not much company to you when I'm asleep."

He grins, fingers attempting to brush lightly along her back. "I wouldn't say that."

She looks him up and down. "Oh, geez, you're not gonna' like, stare at me all night are you?"

"Well, I don't sleep, but I could try closing my eyes and laying here with you. Seems restful, anyway, doesn't it?" Her brow furrows, and he mirrors her expression, sobering up. "I'm not sure, uh, what your plan was?"

". . .I guess I'm not sure, either. I just didn't want to be alone in this big, empty room tonight."

"You could invite Niko across the hall for a sleepover," he teases, tempting her to explain why she chose him.

She recognizes this immediately and narrows her eyes playfully, pursing her lips, and refusing to take the bait. "You've got a cricket bat handy if any other ghosts or demons decide to pop up overnight. Niko would probably just talk their ear off and try to set them up with each other."

He chuckles. "Tough to argue with that."

. . .

After a while, Crystal's breathing slows, her chest rising and falling in smaller increments. Charles does observe this for a moment, before realizing he's doing exactly what she told him not to do. He shifts so he is staring up at the ceiling.

He can't feel Crystal's breath and warmth beside him. Without looking at her, he could forget she's there. He could just be laying alone in this bed for no reason.

He turns onto his side again, facing her and snuggling as close as he can without phasing into her. He has to focus to keep his form solid enough for her arm to rest on.

He closes his eyes and replicates breathing, concentrating on being present, and trying to remember old sensations. How would this moment feel, if he still had his body?

A cold chill runs down his core and he tries to focus on the memory of body contact sharing warmth.

While Crystal has one of the best nights of sleep she's had in weeks, Charles struggles to remember how it felt to be alive.

[honestlydarkprincess]

5. "What are you waiting for?" + payneland <3

prolonging the inevitable

edwin x charles || rated: t || wc: 1k

read on ao3

Charles sighed as he collapsed onto the couch in the office. “Now that was a long case.” 

“What, you don’t like flesh eating gnomes?” Crystal teased, flopping down next to him. Her arms curled around Niko as she perched on Crystal’s lap, leaning back against her and sighing happily. “Comfortable, babe?” 

“Always,” Niko replied serenely. “And the gnomes were so cute. It’s too bad they wanted to eat us.”

“It is not the worst we have seen, so at least there is that,” Edwin chimed in, sitting in the chair at the desk and straightening his peacoat. 

“Very true, mate,” Charles said, kicking his legs out and slouching against the couch. “Now we nap.” 

“Charles, ghosts do not need sleep,” Edwin pointed out.

Charles chuckled. “Nah, but it’s nice to relax after a long case, yeah?”

“I suppose so,” Edwin conceded. “Niko, Crystal, are you two going to nap too?” 

“No, I think we’re going to go find something to eat. I’m starved,” Crystal said, tapping Niko’s hip to get her to get up. Niko reluctantly slid off Crystal’s lap with a pout that turned into a bright smile when Crystal took her hand after getting up herself. “We’ll be back in a bit.” 

“Okay, have fun,” Edwin said, watching them leave. When it was just him and Charles he shifted uncomfortably. Even though Charles acted no different ever since his confession in Hell, Edwin had been feeling slightly uncomfortable when he was alone with Charles. He was just so hyper aware of the boy, now that he knew his feelings. A part of him missed when he didn’t know he had feelings for Charles, things had been so much less complicated. 

“What’s got your beautiful mind turning, mate?” Charles asked, making Edwin look up and realize that Charles was staring at him. 

“Oh, n-nothing,” Edwin stuttered, searching for an excuse. “Um, I was just thinking about our next case.” 

“We don’t have a next case yet,” Charles pointed out, sitting up from his slouch so he could look at Edwin properly. “What’s up?” 

“As I said, it’s nothing,” Edwin tried again, his hand coming up to his bowtie to fiddle with it nervously. 

Charles hummed disbelievingly and got up from the couch, coming to sit on the edge of the desk. 

Edwin’s breath caught. No, this was worse. Having Charles so close made it hard to think.

“Tell me what’s on your mind,” Charles pushed again. 

Suddenly Edwin shot up from his chair and tried to walk around Charles. “I just remembered there was a book I wanted to read, I think it will help us next time. I should have read it earlier, maybe we wouldn’t have had such a close call with the gnomes. Which reminds me, we will need to inform our client that the problem has been solved so we can get paid.” Edwin rambled. 

“Woah, slow down there, mate,” Charles said, reaching out to put his hands on Edwin’s shoulders and keeping him in place. “Take a deep breath.” 

“Ghosts do not—”

“Yeah, yeah, just try it,” Charles interrupted. “For me, yeah?”

Edwin sighed, giving him a slight glare. “That is not fair,” He grumbled, though he still did as Charles requested and took a deep breath. 

Charles gave him a cheeky grin and a wink. Edwin had to look away and he was sure that if he was alive he would be blushing up a storm, his heart racing. 

“Now, instead of reading you are going to sit down and relax,” Charles ordered. 

“That is not what I wish to do right now, Charles.” Edwin rolled his eyes. 

“Tough,” Charles shrugged. “We just had a long case and we’re going to take a break before we take another one. You can fight me all you want but I will get you to relax, so you’re just prolonging the inevitable.” 

Prolonging the inevitable, sometimes that’s how it felt with him and Charles. He was so sure that Charles was meant to be his, he just wished that Charles could see it too. 

“Hey, where’d you go?” Charles asked softly, tilting his chin up and making him look in his eyes. 

“Nowhere,” Edwin whispered. “Just— having thoughts that I should not have.” 

“About?” Charles prodded. 

Edwin sighed. “You know what, Charles.” 

“Oh,” He said, fidgeting slightly. “I— what are you thinking?” 

Edwin looked at him in surprise. “I will keep that to myself. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.” 

“You’ve never ever made me uncomfortable, mate,” Charles said softly. “In fact, you’re the one person I’ve never felt uncomfortable around.” 

Edwin smiled, his chest glowing. “I am glad. Now, I am going to read, you are welcome to nap.” He started to move out of Charles’ hold towards one of the bookcases when Charles stopped his movements with a hand on his shoulder. Edwin looked back at him. “Charles?” He questioned.

“I want to kiss you,” Charles blurted out, his mouth snapping shut after the words left his lips. 

“W-what?” Edwin breathed in shock, surprise written across his face. 

“I— I want to kiss you,” Charles said again, more firmly this time. “God, Edwin, I want to kiss you so bad.” He admitted shyly, ducking his head. 

Edwin stared at him, his mouth open. This is not at all what he had anticipated happening today. What should he say? Did Charles just want to experiment? Was he just curious? Or did he…did he love Edwin back? 

Finally, he found his voice. “What are you waiting for?” He whispered, deciding not to overanalyze something for a change and to just go with the flow. 

Charles looked stunned for a minute before a boyish grin was breaking out on his lips and his hand was travelling up Edwin’s neck to cup his cheek. He leaned in slowly, giving Edwin time to move away for any reason, but he didn’t, he stayed put and let Charles press his lips softly against his. 

The kiss was soft, loving, and when Charles pulled back, Edwin kept his eyes closed, savouring the feeling of Charles’ lips on his. 

“Was that okay?” Charles asked softly.

“That was perfect,” Edwin replied, opening his eyes. “Could you…could you feel it this time?” 

Charles smiled happily and nodded. “Yeah, mate. I guess it’s different with ghosts. I could feel everything.” 

Edwin’s smile could outshine the sun and he leaned in for another kiss. Their second of many, many more. 

[idliketobeatree]

prompt: mindreading

pairing: crystal/niko (heavily implied, but can be read as one-sided pining if that's your jam), ficlet, 700~ words, T

———

"Wait, you want me to read your mind? You're not scared of someone taking a peek into that brain of yours?"

Maybe it's because of her own peculiar experiences with... not exactly unwanted, but genuinely huge mistakes of wanted guests in her head. But Crystal cannot fathom the idea to voluntarily make anyone privy to your thoughts, on a whim. She's done it enough for other people, sure; usually under the disguise of a case and protected by the motives, but she still had a preference of simply talking to people, hoping for the best that they would disclose the necessary information. Her budding empathy clashes somewhat with her psychic powers. There was a time she vaguely remembers, where she wouldn't bat an eye at using them for her advantage, even if it meant stepping on a few heads. Well. Not anymore.

It made something in her chest feel noble; a sensation she was not used to.

With great power comes great responsibility, et cetera, right?

Nevertheless, the casual allowance of Niko to make herself comfy in her brain, with no specific time slot seems intimate down to a T. Something you would allow under very specific circumstances, preferably after thorough discussion with the subject. A life or death situation, perhaps. It would be reserved for the closest bunch of people, unless your poor judgement decided to omit the jarring red flags and said, you know what, my scarlet matches your ruby.

There are choices you cannot go back from, as she is painfully aware.

In her lap, Niko brushes two fingers along Crystal's knuckles, from where she is cradling her palm. It feels strangely precious, encased in the softness of the other girl's hand. Crystal's gaze glides over to the intricate rings matching the long, beautiful pastel nails, decorated with small pearls and tiny ribbons. The touch brings dual sensations: there are the pads, soft like a cat's and similar to it, the sharper points of the nails leave blunt dents on the top of her palm. She belately realises, I wouldn't mind if you pressed harder. Make me feel it.

Crystal's gaze snaps back upwards, guiltily. She almost regrets it. The way Nico's face twists into a shy smile, Crystal feels the touch spark through her hand and race towards the chest like a livewire, a pulsing need. "I have nothing to hide from you."

"That's not true. Everyone has secrets they want to keep," she protests weakly.

"I promise to keep it G-rated," Niko laughs, and Crystal is lightheaded from it, glad she is already sitting down, because hey, did she just—

"Crystal. You need to see the bird."

Before she can cut it short, Niko lifts the hand she so generously cradled up to her forehead— in a mimicry of the main guy from— uh, was it the X-Men movies? Like she believed touching the temples while mindreading was essential to the process. Crystal's powerless against the flutter of her eyelashes when she's trying to focus and relax at once, the slightest of frowns gracing her forehead.

Her fingers are being gripped harder, determined. She wants to keep her there.

Crystal debates on whether it would work anyway, because how could she think about some stupid bird, when Niko is right there? An open, well-loved paperback, ready to fill you with strange images of her own design.

She gets hit with a memory like a pop-up ad, but without the surge of overwhelm and annoyance, the part where she's prying open inside smoother than anticipated.

The sight comes with a filter of pure admiration and some childlike wonder. The edges of the vision are swimming in bright, peak summer hues, teal sky and rich green bushes with pinkish yellow sparkling in the heat. Niko must have watched the scene from a sidewalk, and she had to be pretty close to see so clearly. The crow inside the memory drops a walnut from its beak right before a car drives over it, cracking open the hard shell, and the bird dives precisely half a second later, catching the remains of the nut in mid-air. Show off, Crystal snickers to herself. Surprisingly, she finds a familiar, amused chuckle reverbating around her temple. It's strange enough that Crystal gets thrown out of the vision far too quickly. She pushes the need to stay, down.

Niko cracks open one eye, apparently much too excited to keep going. "Did you see that? Did you see?"

"Uh. Yeah. I did." It's a tiny shock, to come out of the vision. "That was..."

Unexpected. Amazing. If I saw the world through your eyes, I wouldn't think it's genuine shit all the time.

"...nice."

[popodoki]

NSFW Catwin ficlet, some wax play for @icepickparty since they asked so nicely in the discord x

There’s a slight breeze, coming through the high grated windows, ghosting across bare skin, the Cat King's chest. It spreads over and away from his form on the bed, flutters the little flames of the candles on the bedside table, in his lover’s hands. The Cat King curls his toes, breathes in the smell of blue bells, sweet briar in his nose, inhales deeper, a bid to reach the scent of Edwin lingering underneath. Edwin’s solid weight settles down on him, straddles his thighs, bare save for the garter belt holding soft stockings in place. His lover holds his gaze, they exchange a nod, the barest of movement that speaks volumes in the silence between them. Edwin’s thighs squeeze his own, once, twice. A soft length of cloth covers his slitted eyes. Unseen, his lover’s hand tilts. 

The first drop of wax against his bare skin, exquisite, a shocking little burst of pain for all that he was ready for it. The Cat King hisses, hips jerk, hands twitch into fists in his bonds as wax sears hot and then immediately freezes cold on his chest. Dual burning sensations. No respite. A second follows, a third, wax drips, drip, drips down from the candle's wick as regularly as the ticking of a clock.  

The thrill of not knowing where the next drop was going to land. Being at his lover’s mercy, the trust bared, trust accepted, carried. The heightening of his senses, the scents alone. The Cat King’s chest heaves with deep breaths, noises fall from his lips with every drop. Edwin paints the Cat King’s portrait. Sometimes he lets them fall in the same spot, drip after drip, forms a pool of slowly hardening wax in the dip of his collarbone, close to his sensitive neck. The Cat King’s head swings wildly, torn between the urge to move closer, away. Sometimes the next drop falls far away from the last, somewhere the Cat King couldn't have possibly anticipated. He’s kept on edge, muscles tense, trembling, adrenaline and serotonin form a wild mix coursing through his veins in equal measure, an onslaught of sensations that keeps him on high alert, his focus so narrowly on the present, here, with his merciful lover. He sags in his bonds, attempts weakly to swallow down whatever spit hasn’t yet escaped his open lips, focuses on the gentle touch of a hand sweeping over his shivering thigh, giving him a short break. Head tips back on a long moan, fingers tease underneath the now sweat-slick fabric of the garter belt. Soothing circles of a thumb, soft squeeze by the other fingers. The Cat King swallows, nods once, twice. 

A droplet kisses the sensitive skin near his right nipple, the Cat King swears as it burns his skin. Fingers follow the path to his chest, fingertips smear out the wax, make it cool and harden faster. Warm breath teases the Cat King’s nape, his ear. "Too much?" His lover whispers. 

"I can take it."  

A hum. “Do you want to?” 

“Yes, if it’s you.” 

“Okay. Do you want more, right now?” 

Wax cools and hardens, stiff, foreign. The heady mix of scents feels sticky, cloying in his nose. The skin beneath the wax prickles, sensitive, red raw hot in a way that begged soothing. Edwin's weight on his legs was comforting, but not enough. His head shakes once, twice. 

The drips stop. Instead, hands slide through his hair, tug loose the knot of his blindfold, and there's the sight of Edwin’s slender fingers against his skin, delicately peeling up the edge of a puddle of hardened wax, teasing it free of his skin. Skin tender, he sighs as Edwin peels the wax away, as much care if not more, in the slow process of removing the tools with which he marked the Cat King. The Cat King groans under a long exhale. 

Air floods right back into his lungs on a stuttering gasp. Without any warning a palm grinds down on his erection through the fabric of his panties. The soft satin material, cool and silky despite its current wet state, rubs and teases against his cock as fingers move the fabric in a slide up, down. That palm presses down against the clothed form of his cock, fingertips rubbing at the head, rubbing at the fabric. Under the focus, intent attention, it’s not long before the head of his cock pushes up past the top of the panties. The Cat King glances down, bites back a moan. It’s obscene, the head of his wet cock peaks out from the lacy hem, leaks pre-cum onto his stomach. He growls low at the sight, louder as fingers circle the slit of his twitching erection, slide up to sweep through the slick. At a particularly hard clench of those fingers on the length of his cock, he looks up at his lover and finds Edwin watching him, grin spreading slowly over his lips as if he was waiting for him to lock their gaze. The Cat King’s heart throbs in time with his cock, eyes flitting down in a flash to where Edwin bites his lower lip, flying back up and locking in place as his lover blinks at him, once, twice, three times. 

Heat, hotter than the wax, splashes over his stomach as the Cat King comes hard, hips jerking against his lover’s palm in desperate thrusts. 

After a final check, finally fully released from his bonds, divested of his now less than comfortable soaked lingerie, the Cat King stretches unabashedly underneath his lover. He pulls taut every bit of his frame, winks in a proud display of tanned muscles, preens as his lover’s gaze is drawn to his skin littered with the evidence of hot passion. He feels somewhat delicate in that gaze, raw and vulnerable, carnal desire to sink his teeth into something rising up, to mask, to hide. His lips press softly to Edwin’s neck, instead, when he leans down, curls into his open arms. He’s raw, vulnerable. But in his lover’s hands, above all, he’s cared for, he’s safe. 

[coloursflyaway]

Ok, so I’m a big fan of your dbda fics and I saw you were asking for prompts. I have 2, one of which is inspired by one of your reblogs.

1. Charles kisses Edwin at the worst possible time, maybe ending in them getting captured and Edwin giving him a lecture on “time and place”, Charles arguing with “you’re one to talk about time and place”, referring to the hell confession

2. Preferably very angsty, Charles wants to kiss Edwin to try and figure out if he feels the same way, and Edwin stops him, saying something along the lines of “if we did kiss and you didn’t feel the same way I don’t think I could bear it”

Obviously no pressure to write either of them, but I would love to see how you would develop these ideas more.

Hiii, thank you so much for these ♥♥♥

I'm keeping the second one for later, because I really like that, but here's a little ficlet for the first prompt!

It’s not like Charles plans it to go like this, is it?

In fact, he isn’t sure if he could plan it like this if he tried, he’s not sure if anyone could.

It’s just something that happens, because, to be honest, it was always bound to happen at some point, and it’s not Charles fault that Edwin, well. Stood there. Looking so pretty with his perfectly coiffed hair and his kind eyes and high cheekbones.

Not even the look of slight exasperation had detracted from how much of a vision he looked, maybe because Charles has gotten more than used to it in the thirty-odd years they have known each other.

(He knows exactly how many years it’s been, how many months and days too, could probably reconstruct it down to the hour, but that gets to be his little secret, only admired sometimes in dark nights and especially bright mornings, when Edwin is reading or doing research or concentrating on something else enough that the tip of his tongue peaks out between his plush, pink lips.)

And Charles didn’t decide to take a step towards him, just like he hadn’t decided to reach up and put one hand on Edwin’s cheek, feeling the sudden breath Edwin had taken.

Two decades ago, Charles had persuaded Edwin to try breathing again, at least occasionally, as a little luxury, a little treat, and it still makes him smile to see Edwin do it, made him smile in that moment, too, and maybe that had been a decision.

But leaning in and kissing Edwin, that hadn’t been a choice at all.

Just something he had to do in that moment, because there was a little smudge of chalk on the edge of Edwin’s jaw, because Edwin had looked at him and behind and around and between the exasperation, he had looked so fond.

And Charles had thought, he loves me, and then, I love him, too.

What other choice did he have than kiss that love onto Edwin’s lips?

Only that when he pulls back, a smile on his lips and, if possible, even more love in his heart, Edwin is looking him with wide eyes and his lips kissed pink, but not curved, not smiling.

“Charles”, he starts, and Charles isn’t certain he has heard this tone in his voice before; it makes him giddy to think that this is something brand new he gets to find out about his favourite person in the world. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry”, Charles starts out of habit, then stops himself, brow furrowing. “Actually, no, I’m not sorry at all. That was great and I’ll do it again. And again.”

He grins at Edwin, happiness bubbling in his chest until he feels like he’s bursting; a sound drips from Edwin’s lips, something in between a gasp and a whine.

“There’s a time and a place-”, he begins a speech Charles has heard before, and it’s so easy to interrupt him this time, because Charles usually doesn’t mind the scolding, but there’s more important things right now, like kissing Edwin again.

“You mean, like not in the middle of summoning a demon? Yeah, maybe. But I’m not sure if you really get to talk about times and places. At least it’s not on the stairway to Hell, is it?”

And Edwin’s eyes widen even more, if that is possible, and not that Charles doubted it before, but God, he really does love him.

Without thinking, he moves his thumb to wipe the chalk from Edwin’s skin, and Edwin sucks in a breath, then, with the quietest, most hopeful voice, asks, “You do mean it, don’t you? You’re sure? This isn’t just a-”

“Of course I mean it”, Charles cuts him off, before Edwin can say anything else, can think that Charles might not be serious about this for a moment longer. “Have never meant anything more than this.”

Another breath, one that Charles can almost feel against his skin, and Edwin nods.

“Maybe, then, after the demon, we could-”, he starts, but doesn’t get to finish this sentence either.

“Sod the demon”, Charles says, and means it.

This time, when he kisses Edwin, it’s a choice, and it’s the best one he’s ever made.

[mountainsoftreatos]

I wrote a little ficlet about Charles and Edwin taking a nap together inspired by a DBDA college/university AU that I absolutely love love love, which is Tonight's the Night You Fight Your Best Mate's Dad by Opossum_Subatomic on ao3. Here's my ficlet -

And here is the original it's inspired by -

T rating, 14k words with 3/4 chapters! Seriously, go read it and give it some love!!! It has Charles and Edwin being so adorably devoted to each other - plus protective Edwin confronting Charles' jerk of a father, and protective Charles scandalizing Edwin's uptight, homophobic family. And coffee!! And cuddling! And Charles being the The Most dense bisexual alive. The story is so sweet I just love it!

[read-write-thrive]

inspired by my last post on dead boy detectives high school AU: obligatory band kid AU (and it ended up v long so buckle up)

instrumentation/roles:

edwin: if we’re talking still in his shell edwin, he’s an oboe/bassoon player. if we’re talking out of his shell edwin, he’s a French horn player. either way he is 100% first chair but will only accept the section leader title if there’s no one else in his section, he is not about to deal with marching band any more than he has to. he aces competitions and the like when he’s on his own, but rarely has the patience for ensemble work. his parents started him on his instrument younger than his peers so it makes sense he’s so good, but his ego is mostly separate from that—he’s just like that. he’s in the main/symphonic band, marching band with some hesitation, orchestra, and chamber/honors band

charles: while you could say almost any brass/low woodwind instrument and I would say fair enough, I personally think he’s a trumpet player. he does sports so he is often running back and forth on practice/game days but wouldn’t trade it for anything. he’s probably not first chair, or at least isn’t until his later years since he/his parents prioritise sports, he 100% would love being a section leader!! he fits the loud trumpet stereotype but is one of the few that’re complete sweethearts (as long as you keep him away from some of the more toxic dudes, he can get a little swept up in it from time to time, but luckily he figures it all out by the time he graduates). he doesn’t do competitions or any of the fancy stuff since he has obligations with sports, but it sometimes makes him sad that his friends are so good at his instruments while he’s juggling this other stuff and can’t match their level. he’s in the main band, marching, and jazz band in the spring semester

crystal: she’s a saxophone girlie 100%. she can play any of them if pushed, but she tends towards alto sax during marching season and tenor/baritone during the off season depending on the piece’s/concert’s needs. she kept up with some of the more toxic upper woodwind/percussion players in her mean girl era but she’s since come to her senses and avoids them whenever possible. she could be first chair and section leader if she wanted, she’s good enough (parents definitely put her in lessons) and charismatic enough, but she’s not enthusiastic about either position and often purposefully dodges the extra responsibilities. likewise, she’s not interested in separate awards or competitions or anything like that (though I think she also tried it her first semester, like orchestra, to try to get her parents’ attention—when it didn’t work, she dropped it). I can see freshman being simultaneously terrified of and crushing on her. she’s in the main band, marching, and jazz band, though she tried orchestrating for a semester before deciding it was not her vibe

niko: I see her as a violin/strings player who then switches to flute for symphonic/marching band, especially since she’s an international student. I don’t think she gets along super well with the other flute/violin players, so she’s glad to make friends with the group. she’s taken lessons for both violin and flute, but violin was mainly when she was a kid and flute was to help her catch up to everyone else. she does competitions and such mainly so she can get out of classes and hang out with her friends, but tries her best to do well without taking away from her other activities/free time. her instrument cases are COVERED in stickers. she’s super nice to the younger years but they stop talking with her much once they find their friend groups, which always makes her sad. she’s the type to be a “band mom” to an underclassman once one sticks around, but it takes until her senior year for that to happen. she’s in the main band, marching band (again, more to hang out with her friends than for any enthusiasm in the competition), and orchestra to get a chance to play the violin

monty: that boy plays the clarinet argue with the wall. he has his shy moments but also his outspoken moments, just depends on the people involved. he was never in lessons but definitely practices more than your average person. he’s the one to always be in a practice room, either actually practicing or giving people readings, to the extent that there’s a practice room that’s unofficially his (including him scratching/writing his name somewhere before he graduates). he’s perpetually second chair, and secretly would like to be section leader but is just enough of a people pleaser that it never happens (either by him giving it to someone else or the director doesn’t give him the position). he’s in symphonic, marching, orchestra and chamber

thomas/the cat king: so I think he’s a percussionist as his mood can be a little all over the place and hard to read, so I think the variety of percussion suits him. plus the putting on a persona thing just screams percussionist to me. if he isn’t the one dealing himself he 100% has an in with the local dealer (which ig isn’t band related but the percussionists were the dealers/stoners in my band so). he isn’t first chair by any means but he is 100% the section leader of the pit (I cannot see him marching). I think he’s also one of those guys who tends to date underclassmen which concerns literally everyone and breaks a few hearts but is ultimately harmless if a bit of a dick (said with love). he’s in the main, marching, and jazz bands

jenny: was a stellar saxophonist in her time, graduated a few years ago but comes back to help with marching band over the summers/eventually decides to become a band director herself and student teaches during the gang’s senior year. when she was in school she did every ensemble available, which honestly intimidated most of her peers (barring the sapphics bc she 100% had everyone crushing on her, dated quite a few of them too). she’s a great band director once she learns more on how to deal with the inevitable students breaking down in your office on random lunch periods

esther: monty’s mom but refuses to be part of any band parent organization. will occasionally show up to concerts, but if you talk to her she somehow makes it all about her. at some point she gets in trouble with her concerning relationships with minor girls and as a result can’t go to school functions, which monty doesn’t talk about to really anyone but secretly is glad about. she never played any instruments and openly calls monty a nerd for enjoying band

the night nurse: I’m sticking with her as an assistant principal/in charge of attendance/some cog in the bureaucratic system. the band kids are all too familiar with her as they’re often incorrectly marked absent when they go to band practice during lunch/free periods, so getting called down to her office happens to everyone sooner or later. during the gang’s senior year she’s assigned to be directly in charge of the band (for whatever reason idk) which has her suddenly showing up to games and concerts. no one really likes this but they eventually warm to her. she tried the flute once when she was in school but wasn’t good right away so she decided it wasn’t for her

tragic mick: I’m again sticking to custodian but specifically the custodian that’s in charge of the practice field/band rooms/etc and is as such a beloved if cryptic figure in the greater band family. he played the tuba when he was in school but when asked says it’s been far too long to remember anything about it

kashi: hear me out, Kashi as the band director goes hard. like he’s eccentric, always has a grand story to tell, and is simultaneously good at making you laugh and at giving advice. his main instrument is something weird like the soprano saxophone or the euphonium or flugelhorn or harp, but as band director he’s learned most of not all of the instruments in the band over the course of his career

david the demon: percussionist. I take back what I said about the cat king dealing, david is 100% the sketchy dealer of the band. Is also older than the gang. was in the main and marching band but that’s it.

Lilith: superintendent. cryptid type figure. is the one responsible for the shit that goes down with Esther. showed up to exactly one concert and everyone is still losing their mind over seeing her in the flesh

I cannot remember her name but the lady who ran the gift shop: the choir director/theater teacher/eccentric English teacher. well known by the band kid population but not directly involved

the finality or whatever that character is called: prinicpal. directly in charge of the night nurse. surprisingly agreeable for how much bs/cruelty she oversees. her coming in right at the end of the series echoes her showing up to graduation and that’s it for out side of school hours

the ghost mail carrier: he mans the front office desk. will deliver messages over the intercom that always make people jump

extra info/plot points in a fic i doubt I’ll actually write:

monty and edwin get close after being sat near each other in orchestra and then working together during a chamber piece

thomas/the cat king is also older than the main gang. edwin is one of the underclassmen he cozies up to, but edwin never actually dates him

the charles and edwin dream duo imo is charles on trumpet say behind edwin on French horn, with both of them constantly making little comments just to make the other laugh/roll their eyes/react during practice/rehearsal. their senior year they end up being co-section leaders of upper brass but only after some serious begging on charles’s part

crystal has a major crush on jenny at one point

not a single person can stand esther finch, to the point that Kashi slips monty some flyers on different help resources and the other kids all let monty crash at different points when she’s angry

it’s at one point revealed that thomas/the cat king’s parents aren’t in the picture for some traumatic reason and he’s being raised by his grandparent(s), which most people accept as justification for his iffy behavior (it isn’t, for the record, but ive seen this situation happen exactly twice over in my band career and it lines up with him too well not to include)

crystal and charles date for a time and are the band’s it couple when they do. a handful of people don’t like it, but it’s mainly bc they’re jealous they missed their chance with one of the other ( cough edwin cough ) but it doesn’t end up lasting

david and crystal date when he’s a senior and she’s a freshman and it’s BAD. like she’s partaking in drugs she doesn’t fully understand and he’s enabling it/actively supplying it. it’s ultimately jenny who notices the spiral and talks some sense into crystal/gives her a semi-relatable authority figure to lean on. aforementioned crush happens during the chaotic period during/immediately following this. david stays in town and still deals post-graduation, so he shows up to high school parties and without fail creeps on crystal if she’s around. as such she starts avoiding parties, which is the final mail in the coffin of her mean girl era, leading to her befriending charles and niko (and eventually edwin) and made part of the gang

there’s a running joke/conspiracy theory that Kashi and the night nurse are in love with each other. it has been used to embarrass freshmen several times over the years. the night nurse actively denies it but kashi keeps it vague just for the fun of it

at one point when charles and crystal are dating and the four of them are already friends, someone starts a rumour/starts suggesting that niko and edwin should pair up. edwin isn’t openly out but his friends all know so they laugh about it (I also hc niko as aroace for a multitude of reasons i won’t get into here but I think that adds to the humor of it all)

when the band plays for a sport that Charles is on the team for they all go WILD when he’s mentioned by the announcer/scores/what have you. to the extent that there a specific chant/riff/cadence/whatever they start playing specifically for him. this eventually gets them in trouble on some big championship game and the band only stops/does it quieter so that charles doesn’t get in trouble over it

charles had a letterman’s jacket that he adds his band letter to (as well as some diying with pins and patches and such to make it more his style). he uses offering it as a way to flirt/show off his partner(s). it is very effective (to the chagrin of some of those partners who wouldn’t otherwise be caught dead in a letterman’s jacket, incl crystal and edwin)

monty initially charges the rich-asshole kids for readings until he’s caught and forced to stop. he then stops giving readings to anyone he doesn’t already know/like. he uses readings as a way to flirt with edwin, who literally doesn’t realise it for an extended period of time. monty keeps trying to flirt/ask edwin our, but by the time he hyped himself up for it the bell rings and the lunch period ends. they eventually go on one date, which edwin doesn’t realise is even a date (despite his friends insisting otherwise) until monty kisses him at the end of it. it’s awkward for a while afterwards but they eventually settle into a friendship

several other band kids place bets on when edwin and charles will finally get together. niko wins the bet, despite actively encouraging monty x edwin along the way. some say she’s biased being so close to them, but she openly admits that she wasn’t sure it would ever happen

may add to this post later but ive written wayyy too much for rn so we’ll leave it here

[laiqualaurelote]

6, 8, and 15 for the DBD asks!

6. A fanfic rec or fanart rec!

There are many wonderful fics in this fandom but I wanted to give a shoutout to a lesser-known one: the middle of something wonderful by KiaraSayre. It's four exquisitely-written team ficlets with the respective tropes of 1) amnesia (Edwin gets amnesia, Charles is DISTRAUGHT); 2) alive again (Edwin gets alived and can no longer see ghosts, Charles is DISTRAUGHT); 3) time loop (the girls remember the time loop, the boys don't); and 4) chill party (Crystal tries to teach Edwin the electric slide, it goes badly).

8. A headcanon you have (that you haven't seen talked about yet)!

I think a lot about the bag of tricks and I've come to the conclusion that it is not just a pocket dimension of infinite space but arrested entropy. Everything that goes into the bag of tricks enters a state of stasis (this would explain why you can put a lit Molotov cocktail or a jar of bees inside and they would come out the same way without affecting any of the other contents of the bag). Charles can navigate the bag of tricks because he taught himself to manipulate both time and space inside it - he locates what he wants in the infinite space and brings it back into the linear flow of time - which is such a difficult thing to do it kind of blows my mind? anyway that's why other people can put stuff inside the bag but only Charles can retrieve it, and if they hide inside the bag only he can get them out, which means if something happened to Charles outside while someone else was inside the bag, they could get conceivably lost in there forever. Anyway. Very normal about the bag of tricks.

15. Favourite line in the show?

"The fish are washing away the runes!"

(from the DBDA ask game, thanks for asking!)

[obsessiveagony2point0]

- Su1cide and Murd3r AU/Dark Dead Boys

tags: #obsessive_dbda #payneland #Neil Gaiman Universe #Dead Boy Detectives #DBDA #Su1cide and Murd3r AU #Dark Dead Boys

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Emoji Meanings ⚠️ - Trigger Warnings (they will be warned at the top of the post as well) ⚠️❓ - Possible Trigger Warning (they will be warned at the top of the post as well) 🔞 - Sexual Themes/Smut/Porn 🧓 - Mature Themes (nudity that's nonsexual or partial nudity) 🅾️ - Omegaverse 🫄 - Mpreg

About this AU - Edwin lacks 0 sympathy or empathy or anything for anyone or anything but Charles, and even that is extremely little. He has certainly little emotion, save for anger, and he doesn’t understand others feelings or his own save for depression and despair. Which is why he is Despair’s little helper. Edwin is the voice that whispers in one’s ear that they should just k*ll themselves and has supernatural persuasion skills. Not sure if killed as a sacrifice or from a creature. Despair saw him in hell convincing other sinners they deserved their fate and “bought” Edwin’s soul.

- Charles was killed by a werewolf. As he died his body very quickly accepted the bite and tried to shift into his werewolf form, but didn’t succeed. As a result, his spirit has sharp teeth and 3 claw mark scars that run from his left ear across his eye. His constant werewolf hunger causes him to lose control and posess people to have them run amok and kill people. His spirit is extremely unsettled because of the werewolf in him.

- AU Idea - AU Sketch - Angry Werewolf Boy - Ficlet : Property - Refs

[wordsinhaled]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @landwriter <3 thank you, gloam!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

14! (yes, only 14)

What's your total Ao3 word count?

14,842

What fandoms do you write for?

so far, it's been the sandman, good omens, and merlin - though i don't have any published (or finished...) merlin fics. i also just finished dead boy detectives, which may result in a bit of fic - we'll see!

Top five fics by kudos:

just pull on your hair, just pull on your pout - shameless excuse to make dream & hob make out in the cold like teenagers, inspired by the cure & a beautiful fanart of professor hob by @pomegranateruin!

eternity is in us now - dreamling proposal fic <3

if the walls were too thin, you would break right in - this was the first dreamling fic i wrote! :D

while the little moments dream - the one where dream offers hob godhood at the end of the world. soft <3

we are the cosmos fleeing the night - i think this was my second dreamling ficlet? dreamling FWB but make it still romantic

Do you respond to comments?

i'll be honest, i'm pretty bad about responding to comments - NOT because i don't appreciate them! i love each comment i receive dearly and they all mean the world to me. but being less generally flustered and knowing what to say in response to comments is something i'm working on. <3

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

maybe this one? all night or a hundred years is my take on the wine-sharing scene from season of mists. so you know, angst comes with the territory but that one hurts me particularly badly, so it probably fits the bill.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

it's DEFINITELY this one, which has no name and which i should probably crosspost to Ao3 at some point, but it's basically dreamling being sappy and getting married. that's it, that's the plot

Do you get hate on fics?

thankfully i never have!

Do you write smut?

i write... smut-adjacent? i don't think i've ever written like, a pure PWP before or anything i would say rates as explicit. it's just something i've never tried and feel kind of intimidated by tbh, though i'm sure it would be fine if i ever do get around to it! if anyone wants to cheerlead me through my first smut fic i am game, lmao (is there ghost detective smut on my horizon???? IS THERE??? listen. it's not an impossibility is all i'm saying)

Craziest crossover:

i am not sure i've actually written a crossover, but i just finished dead boy detectives and i have many crossover thoughts! oh, also sandman/the old guard, of course. though that's not so much crazy as reasonable, i think

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i don't believe so, but i would be honored!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

never, but it sounds fun!

All time favourite ship?

well, i'm a multishipper, so this one's hard - i can list my OTPs per fandom... the sandman - dreamling, gaulcienne, hob/destruction (honestly hob/all the endless thanks to @softest-punk but i particularly love how you write hob/desire) doctor who - tenrose / doctor/rose & thoschei my beloveds (particular shoutout to twelve/missy, no one's doing it like them) bbc merlin - merthur, merwaine, mergwenthur dbda - obviously edwin/charles [and edwin&charles of course\ (whatever their ship name is I REFUSE TO CALL IT CHEDWIN... PLEASE... SAVE ME...). but i was absolutely also rooting for crystal/niko in addition to that...

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

oh my god i have so many. SO MANY. TOO MANY. i really want to finish the dreamling fealty fic one day because i literally have 2k+ words for it already sitting in my drafts, but i have no idea if i will. also it would be nice to finish ANY merlin WIP sometime this century. i am also debating if i want to start any dbda WIPs but they are... percolating still

What are your writing strengths?

i would say conveying atmosphere in a small number of words, if i had to say something!

What are your writing weaknesses?

FINISHING THINGS! god, and i'm terrible at turning fic ideas into actual writing. the ideas form faster than i can even write them down, but writing the ideas instead of having them play out cool music video-style in my head is SO HARD! also longfic is my kryptonite, i have no idea how authors do it!!!

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i think it can work, but if it's in a language i understand i find myself focused on if the grammar is correct and such. russian usually... has not been (stevebucky fandom i'm looking at u)...

First fandom you wrote in?

harry potter ages and ages ago was my first fandom, but i don't recall if i ever had any actual proper finished fics that i posted anywhere, until sandman fandom. i wouldn't say i considered myself a "proper" fic writer until dreamling actually

Favourite fic you've written?

hard to say - i like them all for different reasons but i'm proud of the opposite of blindness !

tagging whoever wants to do it as i'm sure most of my mutuals have already done this! <3

[the-bookwyrm]

Here are a list of my general fandoms with the tag I use for them, in case you'd like to blacklist any of them, or just get a quick glance at what I'm into!

I can't promise to get all of them lol, but here's a good attempt!

And if you want to look at any of these in particular, plug them in after https://the-bookwyrm.tumblr.com/tagged/

General tags:

Art (all non fanart art)

BOOKS (posts about books in general)

Fandom (stuff about fandoms in general)

Fanart (art for all fandoms)

Ficlet (my general tag for all writing and fics and whatnot)

Meta (meta for all fandoms)

Fandom tags:

Assassin's Creed (all) - ac At the Feet of the Sun - atfots Avatar: The Last Airbender - atla Batman related things - batfam BBC Merlin - merlin Breath of the Wild - botw Chronicles of Narnia - con Circle of Magic Books (all) - com Danny Phantom - dp DC Comics - dc Dead Boy Detectives - dbda Discworld Books (all) - Discworld Doctor Who - dw Dragon Age (all) - da Dragon Age 2 - da2 Dragon Age: Inquisition - dai Dragon Age: Origins - dao Dropout Game Changer - game changer Dropout shows in general - dropout Dune - dune Everything Everywhere All At Once - eeaao Fallout (all) - fo Fallout New Vegas - fnv Fallout 4 -fo4 Fullmetal Alchemist - fma Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - fmms Good Omens - go Gravity Falls - gf Hands of the Emperor - hote Heaven Official's Blessing - hob Horizon Forbidden West - hfw Horizon Games - horizon Horizon Zero Dawn - hzd Howl's Moving Castle - hmc Justice League, Justice League Unlimited - jl/u Legend of Zelda (in general) - loz Lord of the Rings - lotr Mad Max Fury Road - mmfr Mass Effect - mass effect Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - mfmm MXTX Books (all) - mxtx Nine Worlds Books (all) - nine worlds Oxenfree - oxenfree Percy Jackson Books (all) - pjo Phineas and Ferb - pnf Pride and Prejudice - p&p Protector of the Small Series - pots Pushing Daisies - pd Russian Doll - rd Sandman - sandman Scum Villain's Self Saving Service - sv Shakespeare - shakespeare She-Ra: Princesses of Power - spop Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse - atsv Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse - sits Spidervese Movies (in general) - spiderverse ST Deep Space Nine - ds9 ST The Next Generation - tng ST The Original Series - tos ST Voyager - voy Star Trek (all) - st Star Wars - sw Stardew Valley - sdv Steven Universe - su The Adventure Zone - taz The Adventure Zone: Balance - tazb The Goblin Emperor - tge The Good Place - tgp The Hobbit - hobbit The Hunger Games - thg The McElroys (in general) - mcelroys The Murderbot Diaries - mbd The Old Guard - tog The Untamed - tu Tomb Raider (all) - tr Tortall Books (all) - tortall Undertale - ut (Complaining about) Harry Potter - hp crit

[obsessiveagony2point0]

👋Introduction👋

Hiya! Hello! Welcome! ✨My name is Theodore Jace.✨ You can call me Teddy, TJ, Dore, or Theo. You can also call me Theodore or Jace. I am... Genderfluid 🩷🤍💜🖤🩵 Trans/Trans Masc 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵 Demisexual 🖤🤍💜🩶 Panromantic 🩷💛🩵 And I use he/she/they pronouns

This is my second blog fully dedicated to The Sandman/Dreamling and Dead Boy Detectives/Payneland as my main blog was forced into explicit mode (sad...😞). This is where I post my own art as well as my AU ideas, fics and ficlets, post pictures of the actors and actresses of The Sandman and DBDA, and, honestly, just to babble about the Gaiman Universe. 💥Please💥 make sure to check out my Master Post for not only the tags I use for my own things but also to check out the Emoji's I will use in my post as a visual warning as I do post some NSFW and Mature art and fics as well as a a few works that may trigger people. Not only are my own works here but I also share the work of other creative minds here as well that I enjoy. I am not against other ships in either fandom, and I may now and then reblog Cat King and Edwin posts or maybe Corintheus posts, but it will mainly be Dreamling for The Sandman and Payneland for DBDA as those are the ships I personally prefer more.

Thank you for stopping by! Hope you enjoy your visit! 💖