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"Honestly, Charles, you should just kiss Edwin. I'm sick of the tension."
They're walking back to the office after a particularly hard day, and there's no mirror nearby, so they'll have to walk a couple of blocks.
Crystal swears she's going to sleep for a week after today. She feels like she's been run over by a steamroller a couple of times, and every muscle in her body is rebelling against the extra movement.
"You could stop pretending like nothing's going on between you two. This should have been said a long time ago. Things have been getting more intense between you two since we got back to London, and it's getting in the way of work. Today, Edwin, while I was crawling around in that disgusting, damp basement with you and you were looking for that damn Book of the Dead, Charles just stood there and stared at you like, you hung the damn moon. When I walked into the office two days ago, you guys didn't even notice me because you were so damn busy arguing with each other. Although I'm not even sure that arguing could be called an argument."
Fuck, she's too tired to choose her words properly right now, and she's sick of those two not getting their shit together. She wants to do her job well, not be a part of this drama.
"Crystal! Have you finally taken leave of your senses?!" Edwin snorts, throwing his hands in the air indignantly.
Charles feels too tired to answer, he seems to have lost the thread of the conversation, and Crystal and Edwin are arguing about something again. His head hurts like hell and there's this weird noise in his ears that won't go away. Is it even possible for ghosts to have fevers?
At once, the noise in his ears gets weirdly worse, and he feels like he's being electrocuted. A voice appears in the back of his mind, a quiet whisper, as if it had been instilled with an obsession.
Just kiss… Edwin... Just kiss… Edwin… Just kiss… Edwin…
The voice repeats the same thing over and over again, and he is instantly overcome by helplessness, as if he does not belong to himself, as if someone pulled a lever and took control of his body, and then he falls into darkness, the hum of voices dies down and there is silence.
Edwin takes a convulsive breath when Charles's lips cover his own. It is unexpected. In an instant, a wave of embarrassment covers him. He cannot say that it is unpleasant, Charles's lips are so soft and warm on his lips. It feels light and sweet, and something inside Edwin turns over at that moment. He makes an effort to grab Charles by the shoulders and with a sharp movement push him away from himself.
"What the hell just happened?" Crystal cries out, looking from Charles to Edwin and back in confusion.
Edwin's face is confused and disconcerted, and he takes a shaky breath.
"Charles? What... "
For a moment, Charles feels as if he's frozen, unable to move, as if his eternal energy has been extinguished and the battery has been pulled out of him.
As soon as he comes to, Edwin's stunned face is in front of him.
"What... What happened, mate?"
"You just kissed Edwin, Charles!" Crystal's voice rings out from in front of him. She stares at Charles in confusion.
"I..." A stab of realization pierces his chest, and he pauses. "I... What?"
~***~
10 hours ago
The decision to split up to check out that abandoned mansion now seems like a bad idea to both of them.
"I already told you I hate bloody witches!" Charles runs to the makeshift shelter in the form of an overturned desk, behind which Edwin is already hiding, and tries to catch his breath.
"You! Little bastards!"
A few bright green fireballs fly over the desk, forcing the boys to duck. The woman's furious voice is accompanied by the crackling of magic in the air.
"If we had been warned that this antique dagger was in an abandoned mansion owned by a bloody witch, then at least we would have had time to prepare."
Another energy ball hits, turning the shelter into a pile of splinters, causing them to suddenly rise up, coming face to face with the witch. They are essentially cornered, and she blocks their escape by standing in front of the only exit from the room.
She is a middle-aged woman in a long, black coat, tousled dark hair, and a furious expression on her face. Energy crackles at her fingertips, forming another orb.
"At least I got that dagger," Charles grins crookedly, holding up an ornate medieval dagger and placing it in his backpack.
"This is mine, you little shits!" With a roar, the witch directs another glowing ball at them, followed by everything that comes to hand. This is a multitude of multi-colored vials with potions, which have to be dodged.
"Guys, have you found…" At that moment, Crystal appears in the doorway, drawing all attention to herself. She pauses, looking from Charles and Edwin to the witch and back.
"What the…"
This gives them a few seconds to move towards the exit before another energy ball hits them, bringing a bright orange vial flying towards them, until Crystal sends the witch flying across the room with one wave of her hand.
Perhaps it was an accident, or perhaps Edwin's protective instincts have become so ingrained in Charles that he's always in front, covering him, like it's supposed to be that way. Which is why he's lying on this damn floor, trying to recover from the blow. His hair and coat are stained with whatever was obviously in that vial, something bright orange and shiny like diamond dust. He takes a deep breath and coughs raggedly, as if that will help him get rid of the rest of the potion that got into him.
"Oh, God, Charles!" He hears Crystal's quick footsteps in her heavy boots.
Charles winces and sucks in air through clenched teeth, as if he still needs oxygen, his ears ringing from the blow.
"Charles!" Edwin runs up and falls to his knees next to him. "Oh my god, are you okay?"
"I'm aces!" Charles squeezes out.
Edwin's eyes dart worriedly over his figure, looking for visible damage.
"Can you walk? We need to go, now, before she wakes up."
"Yeah, let's go." He makes an effort to stand up, Crystal and Edwin help him up.
They leave the mansion without further incident.
"The next time you decide that splitting up is a good idea, remind me to object to it. If I hadn't found you in time, that crazy witch would have fried you, fucking hell." Crystal throws her hands up in the air in irritation and quickens her pace
"Well, we got the dagger, so the case is closed." Charles shakes the rest of the mixture that got into his coat and smiles cheerfully.
~***~
"Mate, I'm sorry. I…" Charles begins, but Edwin cuts him off.
"Do you remember what color that powder the witch threw at you was?"
Edwin's slender fingers grip Charles' chin tightly, his eyes running over Charles' face, searching for any outward signs of the spell's symptoms.
If this situation has stirred anything in Edwin, Charles hasn't gotten to it, his face is the impassive mask of a professional, as he always does when he's investigating a case.
"I'm... Bright orange, I think." Charles shifts uncomfortably in his usual spot on the edge of the table.
Edwin's eyes study him carefully, and he can't help but wonder if Edwin's eyes have always been so beautiful, as if a stormy deep blue sea were splashing in them.
Edwin hums thoughtfully.
"Have you been feeling unwell? A headache?" Tinnitus? Loss of control?" He quickly lists the symptoms and pauses. "Voices?"
Edwin takes a step back, his expression as puzzled as it always is when he's trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle.
Charles feels a little out of place under Edwin's gaze. The last thing he wants is for his best friend to worry about him.
He puts on his best smile and makes an effort to keep his voice casual.
"Mate, this is probably a side effect of that damn energy ball that witch threw at me. I'm aces."
"Charles, you kissed Edwin twenty minutes ago after I told you, and then you didn't remember a thing. It wasn't like a command, you know? And I don't think you two could have sorted your shit out that fast." Crystal sits on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, taking a sip from her coffee. She would give anything to sleep in her own bed right now, preferably for the next week.
"What if this is serious. We can't just sit here and wait for something else to happen to you," she gives Charles a meaningful look.
Charles sighs. From his place on the table, he catches Edwin's gaze, who stands motionless, his eyes running over Charles's face, taking in the details: his sharp jaw, his high cheekbones, his large brown eyes. If this was a spell, at least there were no outward signs of symptoms.
"Okay. I had a headache, and then..." He hums thoughtfully. "It's like... It's like I just lost control, and in my head..." He chuckles. "It's like a thought that becomes such a huge desire that you can't think of anything else. Strange."
Suddenly, it's as if it dawns on Edwin.
"I think I know what it is."
For the last twenty minutes, Edwin has been thinking about that kiss and the telltale feeling that he actually liked it, even if it was only for a few seconds. It's slowly creeping through his body, leaving behind a heavy, aching feeling of desire under his skin. Now he knows what Charles' lips really taste like, and he finds himself thinking that even if he wanted to, he couldn't forget it.
He takes a few quick steps to the bookcase and picks up a thick, gold-covered book called "Magic Potions and Antidotes" from the shelf.
"You said you had a headache and you felt an obsessive desire for..." Edwin swallows the word kiss "...for action."
Edwin quickly flips through the pages, stopping at one of the spreads, running his finger down the page.
"Potion of Obedience," he walks back to the table and unfolds the book, showing it to Charles and Crystal. On the spread is a strangely shaped bottle with bright orange contents.
"Causes headaches, clouding of consciousness and submission of the will. The potion has a long duration and causes a complete loss of control as its effects increase until the subordinate completely loses his mind, will and life energy."
"Shit." Comes from the couch. "And how do we remove its effects?"
"There is an antidote, not very complicated. It will take about 12 hours, and we have all the ingredients," Edwin nods, "and until then we must not bother you with requests Charles, we do not want you to get worse." He takes a long look at Charles. He can handle it, after all, he knows for sure that Charles doesn't share his feelings, and now they are sure that it was the work of magic.
A few hours later, the antidote was in the making, Crystal was sent home "Just a few hours. If anything happens, call me."
From his place on the couch, Charles can watch Edwin work on the antidote. He has another hell of a headache, and that ringing in his ears again.
Did he really kiss Edwin? That thought has been nagging at him all evening, and not because of the spell. He watches Edwin’s graceful fingers turn the pages of the book, mixing ingredients, pouring liquids, and turning the pages again.
Charles volunteers to help, but Edwin says "no" for his own safety, and now he’s forced to watch from the couch.
Edwin’s shirtsleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and he’s whispering something, checking the recipe in the book over and over again. It's late at night now, and the light from the desk lamp hits Edwin at a rather inviting angle. God, Charles is such an idiot. They still haven't spoken since Port Townsend months ago, like something has changed and stayed the same between them, but it's never been said. And now, of course, he's screwed it up by creating fucking tension between them. In trying too slowly to dig up his feelings, he's screwed up.
He glances longingly at Edwin as he continues to work on an antidote.
Charles didn't want to kiss Edwin now, at least not like this. He'd thought about it a lot, had imagined it in his head hundreds of times over the past months, but the damn spell... He wanted to say it properly, maybe he couldn't beat Edwin's confession in Hell, but he wanted to try, maybe bring flowers or take them for an evening stroll. He wanted to tell Edwin that he loved him more than anything in the world, and he wanted to love him in every way possible, and impossible ways too. And maybe then ask him for a kiss. But not the damn potion.
The evil thoughts that sound in his head burn. He lets out a weak groan, this whole situation is just shit.
The sound Charles makes doesn't go unanswered, and Edwin's head snaps up, tearing himself away from his book.
"Charles? Are you feeling worse?"
"It's okay, mate." He forces a smile, brushing off the lingering headache.
Edwin stares at him for a few more seconds, then drops back to his book.
The thoughts in his head are wandering, not allowing him to latch on to anything specific, and Charles focuses his attention again on his best friend, who is fussing with the antidote. He promises himself that when this whole story is over, he will definitely tell Edwin everything and they will talk.
~***~
"Should do the trick." Edwin hands Charles a vial of bright blue liquid.
Charles takes the vial and stares at it thoughtfully for a few seconds.
"Look, mate, I…" He pauses, trying to collect his thoughts. His headache makes it hard to focus on anything in particular.
"Before we get this over with. We still haven’t talked about everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours and I’m sorry if I… That damn kiss." Charles lets out a pathetic attempt at an excuse, letting out a shaky breath.
"Don’t worry about it, Charles. I know you didn’t mean to and wouldn’t do this, it’s just a spell, so you need to drink the antidote and then we’ll get this over with. We still have a lot of work to do," a small smile appears on Edwin's lips.
And then that headache hits again with renewed force, Charles closes his eyes and can think of nothing but the unbearable noise in his ears and the voices that have returned. A quiet, rapid whisper in his mind, as if hundreds of voices were echoing at once.
Drink... The antidote... Drink... The antidote... Drink... The antidote...
Charles squeezes the bottle tighter in his hand and takes a sip. For a moment, nothing happens, but then everything disappears. No headache, no voices tearing at his skull, no noise.
Rowland opens his eyes and meets Edwin's worried gaze, standing close and holding Charles' elbow, the glass shards from the vial at their feet.
"Charles?" Edwin's voice is worried, his gaze sliding over Charles' face with a silent question.
Rowland nods slowly and chuckles hoarsely.
"It worked." He sees a relieved smile on Edwin's lips, and there's that sparkle in his eyes that appears whenever he praises Charles for a job well done.
"I’m aces."
"Excellent." Edwin lets go of his hand and steps back.
Charles grabs his hand and tugs at his wrist.
"Wait, Edwin... Now I have something to say."
"What, Charles? "
Rowland looks into Edwin's eyes and finds himself thinking that he really could get lost in those eyes, and he would be happy doing so for the next eternity.
"It seems like there will never be a perfect moment, right?" He grins. "Look, I don't want this to be left unsaid."
"What are you talking about? I assure you, everything is fine, Charles. We can get back to work." Edwin tries to keep it dry.
Anxiety climbs up his ribs, scratching at each one, creeping up to his throat and eating up any coherent words before they come out. He can still feel Charles's lips on his, even 12 hours later, and it all comes out too nervous and more emotional than he'd like.
"Listen to me, please."
Edwin nods briefly.
"Look, before we even got into this case, there were some things I was going to say and even some things I was going to do. I've been thinking about it for a long time... Months since Port Townsend and," he grins crookedly and gives Edwin the warmest look he can muster.
Edwin feels like if he were alive, that look would melt him completely.
"I just can't get you out of my head." Charles' fingers slide down Edwin's wrist and intertwine with his.
Edwin takes an unnecessary breath.
"What... Charles, I... I don't understand..."
"I'm an idiot, Edwin... You know, I was thinking about asking you out on a date, we'd go for walks, talk a lot, I'd give you flowers and tell you that... " He pauses and smiles. "That I love you more than a friend, I'm afraid. That I want to love you in all the ways you'll let me love you. And then no damn potion would ruin our kiss."
Edwin exhales, and a wide smile appears on his lips. Along with the air from his long-defunct lungs, the last drop of sanity seems to leave his head. He steps forward, and their lips meet exactly in the middle.
A piercing, sickeningly sweet feeling engulfs Edwin, sending electric shocks through his body, and he swears he has never felt better in his entire existence.
He feels Charles smile into the kiss, and this momentary loss of contact feels like an age-old longing.
Edwin presses closer, and Charles's arms fall to his waist, protecting him from losing even one point of contact. Edwin feels as if he could hide from the world in those arms, and he lets it take him completely.