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podcastenthusiast · 4 months

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Dead Boy Detectives Fic Rec List

Mostly payneland <3 I will update as I find more fics.

“I don’t like this, mate,” Charles muttered.

The Things We Can, and Cannot, Do by MDJensen

Paul Rowland is dead. It's not just that, though.

Oh, Lonely Bones, Have You Forgotten? by DontOffendTheBees

“No,” Edwin agreed, gravely. “Nor do I.”

Frankly, taking this case was probably an unwise decision. The meagre payment offered by the sickly-looking ghost of the old groundskeeper would fall far, far short of the emotional cost of the expedition. And yet when Edwin had looked over to Charles and met his eyes, there had been no doubt, no hesitation. Perhaps it was the notion of unfinished business; that mysterious force that compelled ghosts to sites of personal trauma as sirens compelled sailors to the unforgiving rocks. Perhaps they were both mere gluttons for punishment.

Either way, they were here now. It was with heavy hearts and wary eyes that on the evening of June twenty-sixth, Edwin and Charles – along with Crystal – set foot once more on the grounds of St. Hilarion's School for Boys. In which a very, very old case is re-opened.

Mom Says It's My Turn to Jump on the Grenade by RoseGanymede95

Charles tried to pay attention, because Edwin was really upset, and Charles still didn’t understand why, and it seemed like this might be important. It was just, they’d been at this for a while, and Edwin kept asking him the same questions and not leaving him time to answer, so. His mind may have wandered a bit to how he would reinforce the next cricket bat. His attention snapped back to the present when Edwin said, “This can’t happen. You can’t risk this, I can’t be the reason you risk it. You have to move on.” “Move on?” Charles repeated blankly. “Move on from what?” “From here, Charles!” Edwin shouted, suddenly furious again, suddenly shouting even though his eyes were filled with tears. “You have to go with Death! You have to leave!” “I don’t want to go with Her,” Charles said, nonplussed. “Fine, that’s your business, but you can’t keep hanging around me!” Edwin snapped. Charles’ world suddenly tilted on its axis, sending everything askew. “I can’t?” he asked, his voice small, his heart wide open and exposed.

Let me bleed instead of you by mellxncollie

The question rang like a cracked bell in what had only just become someplace Edwin had started to contemplate calling home. “What was Hell like?” - Charles and Edwin keep secrets from one another. The list isn't long, but it's not empty. Eventually, they start tumbling out in soft whispers, in tear-reddened eyes, in shocked expressions, in choked up phrases.

Or, 40 years and 8 secrets.

Indelible by Arisprite

Charles is feeling a lot and also not much at all in the immediate aftermath of returning from Hell. He also can tell Edwin is wearing thin from holding himself together. Who wouldn't be, after that? It's okay, though. Charles can take care of him, and he always always will.

Done Running by Asidian

Charles has gone a peculiar off color, all the blood blanched from his cheeks. He glances to the arm, and then back up to Edwin's face. "Any break's a bad break, innit?"

"Some have more drawbacks than others," says Edwin, detached and scholarly. "For instance, unless the nerves are compromised, it is possible to make use of the injured arm in cases of extreme –"

"Bloody hell," breathes Charles.

Joi de Vivre by olympus_mons

Edwin Payne crawls out of Hell twice. Somehow, his problems begin in the aftermath.

so many ways to give in by piilu

“I think there’s something really wrong with me, mate,” Charles sobs, the remains of the bat falling from his hand. ---- Charles struggles with his anger issues. Again.

A Room of One's Own by DarkStars (Worlds_Okayest_Goalie)

Crystal is so tired of watching Charles and Edwin stare longingly at each other. OR 5 times Crystal tells Charles and Edwin to get a room and 1 time they do.

Shape Me by dearheartdont

At least twice a year Charles and his mum packed their cases and caught a train to Birmingham, leaving his dad behind with a freezer full of carefully labelled Tupperware.

Charles Rowland and his relationship with his extended family and heritage.

(Part of a series of snapshots of Charles’ life in the 1980s.)

half of my soul, as the poets say by thegirlofthorns

Edwin existed, just as Charles had. Charles, who occupied a space in loving memory. A much-deserved space – Edwin would have wanted it no other way – but the core of him wanted to scream that he had been here, too. He never would be again, but he had lived, and he had breathed and laughed and moved with too much frippery and frill to continue on breathing, and he had been a whole person, once. And it had not mattered. So looked at CHARLES ROWLAND through tears, allowed himself to. Even Charles's hammer on metal on stone was not enough to dull the pain, but it was enough to remind him that he was still here, even if he was no longer living. It was an awful sound, a jarring sound, and tears shone in Charles’s eyes as he focused intently on carving out the A in his surname, but it was something. They were there, together, and they were feeling.

- Or, Charles finds Edwin's unmarked grave and will, in the lightest of terms, not be having it.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad by hibye

It was about the torture. The torture he was experiencing presently, and also every minute of every hour of every day, standing alongside Edwin Payne and saying nothing out of the ordinary at all.

O Spirit From The Great Beyond! by InTwainFiction

Edwin is ignoring Charles.

They haven't spoken in almost twelve hours, and all because of a little incident involving some puppies. Yes, said incident may have been Charles' fault, but he has apologised a million times.

Charles is getting desperate to find a way to get Edwin to talk to him again, and a little walk away from the office provides just the thing Charles needs.

He hopes it will get Edwin to talk to him, but at the very least it will be a laugh.

a beautiful day to say goodbye by ofstitches

“The house is… sad,” the client responds.

“Again, we can’t help with selling the house. Maybe try some decorations. That’ll brighten the old place up,” Charles suggests.

“No, you misunderstand. The house doesn’t look sad. The house is sad. It is depressed.”

“How do you figure?” Edwin says, sitting up in his chair now that the client has said something potentially interesting.

or A new case brings up old feelings, and maybe something more.

A Heaven Like They Talk About by LikeMmCookies

After managing to piss off yet another witch, Edwin and Charles are cursed as punishment. Bewildered, powerless, and lacking answers, they face their greatest challenge yet: being human again.

With Edwin doing novel things like picking out shampoo and wearing different pants, Charles finds his body reacting in strange ways to his best friend. He questions if these are new feelings, or if they'd been there all along.

But the biggest question remains - do they stay alive or do they find a way to go back?

being unknown by The_IPRE

Edwin does know Charles, or at least he likes to think that he does. He knows that Charles is far better with the clients than he is, quick to offer a smile or extend sympathy while Edwin is far more interested in delving deeper into the details of the case. He knows that Charles has a wicked swing with his cricket bat, but prefers to leave that as a second resort when he believes there's a way for them to come to a compromise. He knows that Charles chooses to hope for the best from people, even after having seen the worst they have to offer–and in fact, having been killed by it.

As Charles sits in front of him, the strain in his shoulders at odds with the easy grin on his face, Edwin wonders how much of his friend he is failing to see. -- 5 times Edwin didn't press the issue, and one time he did.

The Kind of Light That Means Just Love (When My Baby Smiles at Me) by DontOffendTheBees

“Charles,” Edwin admonished, gently closing his book with a finger tucked between the pages to hold his place. “I have asked you to stop fooling around with that contraption and get some work done.”

“I have been!” Charles defended, gesturing broadly at the higgledy-piggledy array of items around him. Evidently, taking stock of the contents of his bag of tricks was an expansive task. “Taking a break.” He snatched the small square of paper from the Polaroid camera and began to shake it with abandon. In which Charles partakes in some amateur ghost photography, and Edwin (fondly) bemoans the futility of the exercise.

The Good Left Undone by plutosheaven

Help comes from unlikely places when Edwin is once again faced with a threat worse than death.

the phantoms here will never have their fill by ahyperactivehero (ahyperactiverhero)

Poltergeists are created when a ghost experiences extreme emotional distress. Poltergeists are notoriously hard to reign in, and they almost never gently move on. Neither Edwin nor Charles ever imagined it would happen to them.

Basically, five times where the Dead Boy Detective Agency dealt with the threat of a poltergeist.

XXX

“Once you choose to go down the poltergeist route there is no coming back,” Edwin said. “And I will have no choice but to follow you.”

“You can’t do that mate,” Charles said. His voice had cleared up some, his form less wavy.

“Then do not go where I cannot follow,” Edwin said.

Form 239, Schedule L by sanctuary_for_all

At the top of a small pile of papers was a copy of Form 239, Schedule L, filled out with achingly familiar handwriting. At the top, the word "Approved" was stamped in large red letters.

This Darkness, Enduring by kickingtheladder

“Your son is gone,” they tell her. “It was… an Act of God.”

She cannot think of a single thing to say for a very long moment. And then she has many things to say, most of which are not at all appropriate for polite company. --- Edwin Payne's mother, before and after.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by kickingtheladder

“Your son is gone," they tell her. "He ran away." She doesn't say anything. --- Charles Rowland's mother, afterwards.

dreaming of the things you said / hoping that it's meant by ohmyfuckinggod420

Edwin turns away with a deep breath, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach. His non-existent, ghostly stomach. It seems so ridiculously cruel and on theme for his current situation. Not only is he in love with his best friend, and not only does his best friend not love him back, but he’s feeling things that he shouldn’t be feeling on top of things that he physically should not be able to feel. or

The gang is back in London. Niko is gone, Crystal is on the cusp of a breakdown, Charles is still a flirt, and Edwin is... trying his best.

Oh, and he keeps feeling his pulse. As a ghost. A very dead ghost.

The trouble really never ends.

the ghost of the past that you live in by ObsessedWithFandom

It didn’t start as much. As anything, really. Charles noticed him in the hallways only because he was new, which was rare in Year 11, and because he smiled shyly whenever Charles said hi. Aysar, he’d introduced himself, and Charles liked the way the syllables formed in his mouth. He wanted to be Aysar’s friend.

Or: five boys Charles didn't date, and one he did.

Aftermath by sophisticatedyet

“What are you humming?”

Charles’ polo muffled his question, and the pause before Charles answered was so long that Edwin wondered if he hadn’t heard him at all. But then he said, "A lullaby.”

The answer made Edwin smile bemusedly. “Why? I can't fall asleep.”

“Yeah, duh, I know. It's just meant to soothing.”

“Oh.” Edwin rested his head back against Charles’ chest. “I suppose I do feel quite soothed.”

Dance the Night by Gruoch

“What is that?” Crystal asks, looking Edwin up and down with an expression of abject befuddlement that borders on disgust.

“It is my disguise,” Edwin replies a little stiffly in response to her tone. “You told me to wear a disguise.”

“You look like Margaret Thatcher,” Crystal says flatly. “You’re going undercover at a nightclub, not a library. This—“ she plucks at Edwin’s long tweed skirt, her lip curling— “is not appropriate nightclub attire. You’re gonna attract too much attention.”

“I thought attracting attention was the point of this ludicrous exercise,” Edwin snaps back.

“Yes, the right kind of attention,” Crystal stresses. “This—” she waves a hand broadly at him—“will get the wrong kind of attention.”

In which the gang returns home to discover something sinister stalking London’s party scene after dark, Edwin lets his hair down, Charles’ confidence is shaken, and Crystal pursues a new lease on life (and hopefully doesn’t die in the process).

Everywhere, Everything (wanna love you) by WildCookieKeef

Freedom, as it seems, is suffocating. Decades spent running away from death herself and yet now more than ever does Edwin feel restless. Hell is behind him for the second time. He might’ve escaped his fate of eternal torture, but rabidly approaching are revelations he would’ve kept buried for far longer.

He’d never be so flustered and disorganized if it hadn’t been for Crystal or the Cat King or Monty or the Night Nurse or that horrible witch Esther or Simon, god not Simon, or practically reenacting old Greek tales with his best mate or. . .

No. It’s no one’s fault but his own. If he could sleep he’s sure he’d have nightmares.

Of what? There’s lots to choose from, but he can just feel it. Maybe some spirit malady has taken root in his body. He can sense the tension under his skin. Aches of pain that he knows aren’t physical.

He never should’ve told Charles. What was he thinking?

or After the end of S1, Edwin reasons that Charles rejected his confession and fears the worst while trying to suffer silently. Charles is very bad at letting Edwin suffer in peace.

the eight layers of hell, reversed by Zairielon

There's a lot that Edwin and Charles don't talk about. Frankly, after 30 years together, you don't have to say much for the other person to get the point. But Port Townsend and Crystal and Niko knocked their dynamic off-kilter, and by the time they return to London and finally get back to "normal," "normal" has changed. "Normal" is now Crystal's bright laughter, Niko's earnest affection, and Edwin's faint smiles. "Normal" is an unnameable ball of emotions tangled up in Charles' chest. "Normal" is Edwin looking at him, and Charles hearing those words all over again.

Charles, I'm in love with you.

OR, Charles figures out what it means that Edwin is the only person in the world he'd run into Hell for.

When We Walk Together We Tend To Walk Alone by UneducatedAuthor

She’s never unexpected, but she’s always a surprise. And when Charles meets her, it's nothing like the nightmare he's built up in his own head, being split away from Edwin and cursed to an afterlife without him. She's kind and gentle and familiar, and she gives him a chance to say goodbye to his mother.

Or, the one where Charles meets Death. They have a lot to talk about. But it's okay. They have time.

it's you that i hold on to by lrvzender

A pair of lips press shakily on his temple. Charles Rowland’s blood definitely runs hot, Edwin decides, definitely.

“You’re not asking anything, mate. But you have to understand that you are worth saving, a thousand times over. You are worth knowing, Edwin.”

Something bigger than the whole, wide sky. Something bigger than death, perhaps.

(where Edwin does not ask to be known, but Charles knows anyway)

and your song, it haunts me like hunger does the crow by kay_cricketed

After they return to London, Charles notices an escalation in people approaching Edwin with their attentions. Which is fine! It's not that Charles is jealous. He wants Edwin to be happy and to have a chance at a fulfilling relationship, yeah? The problem is, Charles is aware that Edwin is unpracticed with these kinds of emotions and other people, and it would be very easy for someone to take advantage. And that’s not going to happen, not on Charles’ watch.

To make matters worse, the admirers are getting a little too intense. And Charles is starting to suspect there's more at work than everyone realizing his best mate is brills.

(Or: In which the damage to Edwin's soul across years of torture has had an unusual effect, and Charles needs to fix it before he's compelled to violence. Again.)

trína chéile, le chéile, claochlaithe / entangled, together, transformed by theroyalsavage

Edwin Payne and Charles Roland are not Orpheus and Eurydice. They are not tragic figures of myth, children of gods and spirits, immortalized in verse by the poets of old. They’re nothing special at all – just two boys too stubborn to move on. With that said, however… Edwin must admit that there are certain similarities.

Came up from that lake of fire by ghostinthelibrary

"Are you a zombie?” Niko peers into Edwin’s eyes. “Because the Night Nurse told me zombies exist. Do you hunger for brains, Edwin?”

“Hardly.” Remembering being splattered with gray matter in the not-so-distant past, Edwin shudders. He cannot imagine consuming it. “I’m not a zombie.”

“What about a vampire?” She almost looks excited by the prospect. “We’re only a couple of hours from Forks. It would be perfect!”” When they’re caught during their escape from Hell, Charles and Edwin have no choice but to make a deal: they have one hundred days to find and entrap a powerful, malevolent spirit, or both of their souls are forfeit. But when they’re both temporarily restored to living bodies to aid in their search, being alive brings with it a host of new feelings, which neither of them know how to cope with, especially as their deadline looms closer and their quarry proves increasingly dangerous.

Unbreakable by Asexual_Enjolras

Edwin feels as though he owes Charles an apology because he cannot offer support to his best friend in the same way that Crystal can. And Charles tells him exactly where to stick that apology the moment he does.

Or, Edwin feels like he is broken and Charles does not agree.

after the insects have laid their claim by lolotr

“Where are you buried, do you’ve any idea?”

“My body was never found,” he replies softly. “There is a memorial marker next to my parents’ graves, but my remains are not there.”

The idea is so horrifying that it stuns Charles into silence for a couple seconds. “I didn’t know that. Why didn’t I know that?”

Edwin’s shoulders tense. “The whole thing is bloody tragic enough as it is.”

Grabbing his wrist, Charles begins marching them back in the direction of the pond they used to get here. Edwin doesn’t resist, but he does argue, because of course he does. “Charles, where are we going?”

“St. Hilarion’s. We’ve got a new case, don’t we?”

Hold This by RoseGanymede95

“Alright, listen,” Charles said, after trying not to think at all for at least five minutes. “Hear me out.”

“Any ideas?” Edwin asked, not looking up from his page.

“It’s just. What would actually happen if you cut my hand off?”

Edwin jerked his head up so fast, Charles wondered that he didn’t brain himself against the stone wall. He looked more offended than he had when he found out about the live snake in Charles’ bag.

“What the hell kind of a question is that?” He hissed.

“I’m not saying we should do it!” Charles backpedaled. “I’m just curious! These cuffs make us proper solid, don’t they? We could probably lop it off and get me out.”

“No,” said Edwin emphatically. “We are not discussing this. I don’t want you getting any ideas and chewing your own arm off like a trapped weasel.”

“Not my whole arm, just my hand.”

the start of something beautiful (the spoiler-free remix) by KiaraSayre

Four cases from the Dead Boy Detectives casebook, featuring amnesia, corporeality, a time loop, and a chill hang sesh.

If I'm Batman, You're Robin by ahyperactivehero

Charles misses a lot of things from life. One of those is the movies. Edwin volunteers to go with him.

XXX

“Batman Returns?” Edwin asked, reading the title. “What sort of creature is a Batman?”

Charles couldn’t help the bark of a laugh he let out. “No, he’s not a creature, mate. He’s a superhero.” At the totally blank look on Edwin’s face he tried again. “He’s like a detective. But he fights crime with his fists, too.”

“Ah,” Edwin said with a knowing look. “One of your heroes, I see.”

offer me that deathless death by websters_lieb

It takes the better part of two days for Charles’s body to even be found, and in the end, Edwin is forced to turn on all the lights in the gymnasium attic where Charles had died in order to get a janitor to come upstairs. No one had even been looking for him, yet. - or Edwin and Charles attend a funeral, look for a gravestone, and decide to become detectives.

Edwin's Payne tolerance by RabidWatermelon

Charles knew Edwin had a high pain tolerance. How could he not, having endured the tortures of hell? He just didn’t expect it to be so… useful.

AKA I want to write drabbles about Edwin's pain tolerance because I think it's something that would come up over thirty years together and be mildly concerning to someone who went through abuse in life. No fixed plot or posting schedule. Will update tags as chapter come out w new content.

The Case of Edwin's Missing Notebook by thewalkingstone

Edwin forgot his notebook at the office.

Not a problem. He prided himself on having an excellent memory. He certainly liked to jot down notes as he worked, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t work without it. He would just have to remember things until they returned to the office.

It was fine. He was a professional, and professionals did not delay an investigation because they forgot their notebook. OR Just months after escaping Hell, Edwin accidentally forgets his notebook on a case. He does not handle it well. Luckily, his new best mate is there to help him out.

The Scenic Route by DontOffendTheBees

"Cheer up, Edwin," said Charles, brightly. "Might never happen."

Edwin gave Charles a look so haughty it had its own title. "It very much has happened, Charles." He sniffed and straightened out his newspaper with attitude, the rustle of it loud and sharp as a whip crack. "I don't see why we couldn't have simply hopped through the mirror and met Crystal there."

"At this point, Edwin, I'm in total fucking agreement," said Crystal, not opening her eyes. She was burrowed under her coat like a blanket, doing her best to make the uncomfortable upright seat look like a cosy bed. Fortunately this train car was basically empty, so she had space to stretch across two seats – and no one close by to comment on the floating newspaper across the table and the fact she was having a barney with it. "You're like, the worst person to travel with." In which the agency takes the scenic route to their next case; and Edwin finally receives some answers he's been waiting for.

what some circumstance stole by Chrome

For a magic-user intent on siphoning pain for power, both Hob Gadling and Edwin Payne represent unique opportunities. United in dire circumstances, a man incapable of dying and a boy long dead forge an unusual friendship--and try to survive the experience. --- “When you died,” Hob said. “How old were you?” “Sixteen.” “That,” Hob said, “Is awful.” Edwin shrugged. “Life is, I’m afraid,” he said. “Can be wonderful, too,” Hob said. “I promise.”

#dead boy detectives #dead boy detective agency #dbda #edwin payne #charles rowland #payneland #crystal palace #dbda fanfic #cj's fic recs

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vaguesxrrow · 5 months

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this was for a request for an edwin payne/gn reader dating hcs but i accidentally deleted the ask SORRYYY 😭😭 if you requested it here you go !!

edwin payne/reader dating hcs

a/n: there is nothing in this pertaining to the reader's gender but i'd like to clarify they are not a girl, as edwin is not attracted to women (to my knowledge)

reader can be read as either alive or dead

tags: gn!reader

what dating edwin payne would be like...

- before you started dating, or at the start of your relationship, edwin would be a little closed off (as is expected from him) but it was still obvious to everyone he had a soft spot for you

- even if he didnt outwardly show how taken with you he really was, it would be obvious through his actions alone

- on cases, he would especially watch out for your safety

- if you're sick or feeling even slightly unwell he will suggest you take a break from this case

- "i will come back to you. i promise." when you protest that he might need you there

- he'll give you long, long hugs when he returns

- lying in bed together after the case, facing each other, as he tells you about it

- would lay down with his head between your shoulder and neck, tracing patterns over your hand and wrist

- isn't terribly fond of pda but cheek kisses and hand holding, or linking your pinkies together are always on the table

- will also let you, and enjoy it when, you latch onto his arm

- this boy would totally try to court you

- at first his gifts would be typical types of gifts, like flowers or something expensive and fancy because he wants you to think highly of him

- but then one day he finds a silly stuffed animal he thinks you'd like and gives it to you

- you LOVE it ofc, and you dont waste a second in telling him

- he's a bit surprised but is happy you love it and would grin at you fully once you promise that yes, you really do think it's lovely

- after that, if he finds anything he knows you'll like, or if you say you want something, he WILL get it for you

- edwin taking you out on dates:

- he would put a lot of effort into your first date because, with all the running away from supernatural beings that want to kill you, he thinks both of you deserve a little normal

- imagine: a museum date, but at a kind of obscure museum that showcases ancient artifacts or something

- edwin would know a lot of facts about the different pieces and tell you about them

- however he will feel bad about going on too long, because this is your first date and he doesn't want to put you off already

- "i... apologise. i'm rambling."

- you: 'i don't mind. it's... attractive how smart you are."

- you were totally gonna say 'sexy' but is edwin really ready for that?? maybe not.

- then you kiss him before he can react, and his system kind of crashes (yeah, definitely not ready for 'sexy' just yet)

- he appreciates how you value his whole personality and genuinely love all parts of him

- he loves you just as much, if it wasn't obvious

- his love languages would probably be quality time and acts of service

- constantly making excuses to be near you

- "[ ] and i will go conduct some research in the library, the three of you can interview the witnesses."

- he thinks he's being subtle but charles, crystal, and niko always grin at you knowingly

- "have fun, lovebirds! try not to get distracted," <- coming from either of the other three, or maybe even all of them in unison

- edwin will splutter and blush

- once he realises there's no use in hiding how whipped he is for you, he'll outright say he wants to "go with his [boyfriend/partner]" to do whatever he wants to do

- he likes saying it out loud that you're together - it makes him feel giddy inside in a way no one else has before

- if you want a specific book for your research he'll take finding it very seriously

- you need a book from the top shelf? he's on it (like, literally on it, because if there's no step stool around he might actually climb the bookshelf)

- getting tired from your research? he'll mirror travel to a coffee shop and get you a drink and a sweet treat

- edwin would get jealous, and once he's secure in the relationship he would show it

- in the case of you being alive: imagine someone trying to flirt with you, maybe in the library or something from the earlier scenario

- he would knock over a book on purpose to spook the person who dared to flirt with HIS s.o

- when you tease him for it later he'll mutter something about being 'possibly a bit jealous.'

- it isn't that he doesn't trust you, as he will of course clarify, he's just very protective

#edwin payne/reader #edwin payne x reader #edwin payne x you #edwin paine/reader #edwin paine x reader #edwin paine #edwin payne #dead boy detectives x reader #dead boy detectives headcanons #dead boy detectives/reader #dead boy detectives #dbd

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coloursflyaway · 4 months

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Won’t Fear Love (6/6)

Pairing: Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.900

Read on AO3

„We should go a date“, Charles says on a perfectly bland Tuesday, looking up at Edwin from whatever he is doing at the moment.

If Edwin wasn’t dead already, he would suspect that Charles is trying to kill him.

or:

Five times Charles takes Edwin on a date to figure out if he could fall in love with him, and one time when he has an answer.

tagging all the lovely people who wanted to give this fic a read: @itsablueberrycow @piristephes @assignedpeanutallergyatbirth @mylu @oneweirdbean @lifeinvirtualreality

It’s the second Wednesday of the month again, for the eighth time since they have started this experiment, if Edwin’s tally is correct. Which, of course, it is.

The last two weeks have been filled with a new case, one that is turning out to be much harder than expected, and so Charles and he are sprawled on the sofa, books in their hands, while Crystal is out to find someone whose mind might provide them with some kind of insight. So far, Charles has not declared any plans for the night, but then again, he seems to enjoy surprising Edwin, seems to enjoy keeping him in the dark for as long as possible.

Just the month before, he had taken Edwin to a botanical garden so they could enjoy the mild weather, the flowers and the gentle quiet there; they had been holding hands, Charles had woven a crown from daisies and dandelions for him and later kissed Edwin beneath a vine-covered arch, another time just before they had left the gardens to walk back to the agency.

Now, he is laying on the sofa with his head in Edwin’s lap, which makes Edwin’s own reading slightly more difficult as there is nowhere to rest his book but on Charles’ forehead (which he had tried, but Charles did not appreciate) but is also more than worth it. It’s nice to be this close, to weave his fingers into the curls of Charles’ hair and make him hum happily, to look down from time to time and watch Charles’ eyelashes flutter, his forehead furrow in concentration.

It’s domestic in a way that is painfully familiar and delightfully new at the same time.

“Hey, Edwin”, Charles says eventually, and when Edwin looks down, Charles is already watching him, the book set aside and resting on his chest. “I know it’s Wednesday and I do have a little something planned, but would you mind if we just spent this one at home?”

His eyes are wide and soft and dark, and Edwin knows he could say no, and ask to go anyway and Charles would take him to… well, wherever he was planning on going. Not that Edwin ever would, not when Charles is not feeling like going on a date. Especially, since the reason for these dates is for Charles to find out if he wants this.

Edwin is about to smile, tell him that of course, they can stay in, but then there’s a flash, a thought so bright and sudden wrecking through his brain that it stops Edwin dead in his tracks. Because that was the deal they had, wasn’t it? That they would go on dates and Charles would figure out if Edwin could be someone he’d want as more as a friend.

And if Charles doesn’t want to take him on a date tonight, then…

Suddenly, Edwin feels his metaphorical heart speed up; if he still had a breath, it would be shaky, coming in gasps, because his whole existence zeroes in on this, on Charles looking up at him, on Charles asking to stay at the agency tonight.

He puts down his book, sits up straighter, and the change in posture must have been noticeable because Charles quirks an eyebrow, even if he doesn’t move; Edwin isn’t sure if he is grateful for it or wishes it was different.

“Charles”, he starts, unsure how to phrase it when part of him wants to abandon rhyme and reason and beg Charles not to break his heart. “Please correct me if I am misunderstanding the situation, but are you trying to say that you are ready to make a decision regarding… us?”

He puts it as delicately as he possibly can, tries to keep any kind of hope, of desperation, of bone-chilling, all-encompassing fear from seeping into his voice, but he isn’t sure how, or even if he succeeds. Especially since Charles doesn’t react at all at first, then scrunches up his nose, forehead furrowing. “What?”

Since there is no universe in which Charles would ever treat him unkindly on purpose, or make this harder than necessary, the confusion must be genuine, which makes it easier, makes it harder still. And, a treacherous part of Edwin’s mind whispers, what does it say about their situation that Charles seems to have forgotten about it entirely?

“Us, Charles”, Edwin repeats after a moment and even to himself, his voice sounds off, too composed to be anything but a facade. And it is, because Edwin isn’t even certain how he is formulating words, sentences, when every spectral molecule of his body seems to be frozen in hope, in terror. “When we started this… experiment of a sort, it was very clear that we would go on dates so you would be able to make a decision about our romantic future, or lack thereof. So, since you are proposing that we do not go on a date tonight, I was wondering if you were indicating that you were ready to make said decision.”

It sounds stilted, it sounds forced, but Edwin cannot make himself stop talking until he is finished, because if there is a chance that this is what Charles has planned, then he has to get it over with as quickly as possible, no matter the consequences.

His hands are shaking and Charles must see it, so Edwin folds them and presses them against his chest, while he watches Charles sit up slowly, eyebrows still drawn together like he is trying to find the last piece for a puzzle he wasn’t expecting to solve.

He’s beautiful in a way that makes Edwin wish he had a heart that could beat for him, a breath that Charles could take away; he’s anything Edwin could ever want and although ever since they started this, Edwin has been doing his best to keep his hopes in check, he suddenly realises with startling clarity that he has colossally failed in that regard. There is still nothing that could ever keep him out of Charles’ life, but it would take decades to piece his heart back together, should Charles decide he would prefer them to be friends.

Because he had a taste of it now, of holding Charles’s hand when they are walking through the city, of cuddling close to him at night and kissing him in the morning, when the early sunlight is making his skin glow golden. And even if for Charles this was a trial run that was found lacking, it had never felt like that for Edwin.

“Just so I can get this straight”, Charles starts very slowly, like he isn’t certain what to say, or how to say it, “Are you under the impression that I haven’t made that decision yet?”

He sounds like he cannot believe he is saying it, and Edwin cannot do anything but nod helplessly, the weight of the rest of his existence making it impossible to speak.

It takes a moment, but then Charles laughs, incredulous and yet sweet, and even if it doesn’t clear up anything, it washes away at least some of the tension. Because Charles wouldn’t laugh at him, not before breaking his heart.

“Edwin, we’ve been cuddling until a few moments ago”, Charles tells him and his voice is so gentle, so fond that Edwin wants to sway closer, wants to spend the rest of time surrounded by its timbre. “We’ve been holding hands for months now. I kissed you this morning when we were watching the sunrise. Twice.”

He smiles at the last part, like it is a memory worth reliving and that is enough to stun Edwin into talking, to kickstart the heart he doesn’t have into beating once more. “I thought you were trying it out. To see if you liked it”, he explains, and slowly, ever so slowly, hope is spreading through his body, pumped through astral veins from his chest to the tips of his fingers, the soles of his feet.

“For the first twenty minutes of it, maybe. Not for several months”, Charles replies and he is smiling, the curve of his lips seeping into every word. “Crystal even introduced you as my boyfriend last week.”

“I thought she was teasing me!”, Edwin shoots back, but there is no heat to his words, there couldn’t be, when Charles is looking at him like he doesn’t want to look away again.

The words startle a laugh out of Charles, who then reaches out to pull Edwin’s hands from where they have been resting against his chest, holds them tightly between his own. And suddenly Edwin’s skin feels like its thawing, like Charles’ touch is breathing air back into his lungs, is making bringing his heart back to life.

“Edwin, listen to me”, he says and there is nothing Edwin would rather do. “I made my decision months ago. I thought you knew.”

Months ago, he says, and Edwin thinks about snuggling up to Charles when they were both doing research in long, dark nights, about tangling their fingers together between their bodies while following Crystal down one of London’s long, winding streets, about Charles kissing him last night, crowding him against the door and only stopping when Edwin’s head was spinning.

It feels impossible, it feels real at the same time, and Charles is watching him with such tenderness that Edwin cannot even ask if he means it. Because Charles would never lie to him, not about something like this.

“Can you just say it?”, he asks instead, sounding breathless and overwhelmed and happy even to his own ears. “So I can believe it. Just once.”

Charles’ fingers tighten around his, and maybe that is an answer in itself, but then Charles says, “I’ll say it as often as you want to hear it.”

And he leans in, close enough that Edwin almost closes the distance and kisses him instead, stops himself just because he knows he needs to hear it, that he will have time to kiss Charles later.

“You, Edwin Payne”, Charles starts, and raises their joined hands to press his lips to Edwin’s knuckles, “are the love of my life in every possible way. And there is nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my existence at your side.”

He smiles and his eyes are so full of love, of affection, that Edwin feels like he is drowning in it, unable, unwilling to resurface. There are tears stinging in his eyes, but Edwin blinks them away, because he needs to see, needs to commit Charles’ face to memory like it is right now, his curls mussed from Edwin’s fingers, his eyes glittering in the dim light of the office.

“I love you, too”, he whispers into the sliver of space between them, hopes to fill it with everything else he wants to, will, say. “More than anything.”

Charles’ eyes light up as he leans in, makes them shine so brightly they’re almost blinding, and just before their lips brush, he whispers, “I know.” And kisses Edwin soft and sure and overwhelming, one hand letting go of Edwin’s so it can reach up and cradle his jaw instead, holding him steady, holding him close.

Edwin kisses back, and there is a moment where he thinks, please.

Only to realise, as Charles kisses his love onto his lips, that there is nothing more he could ask for.

#dead boy detectives #dead boy detective agency #dbd #edwin payne #edwin paine #charles rowland #painland #payneland #paynland #chedwin #charles x edwin #edwin x charles #i'll really miss writing this fic #so much #my boys ♥♥♥

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wordsinhaled · 4 months

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thinking about hell as being, inherently, a place that makes one both vulnerable, and enables them to be more vulnerable, either for the better or to their detriment...

in hell simon is able to express to edwin his deepest feelings, his admiration of and attraction to edwin, his misgivings, embarrassment, shame, and self-loathing about his identity, which he couldn't access on earth and masked with bullying while he and edwin were alive. edwin expresses back the confused nascent feelings he'd had for simon back then and hadn't been able to parse or express properly while alive

while he's in hell edwin is stripped down to his undergarments, and immediately manifests back his multiple layers of clothes once he's back on the earthly plane. and ultimately he makes his confession to charles there, too

edwin and charles are able to speak to each other in hell more candidly than they usually do on earth. there's the thoroughness with which charles takes the time to respond to edwin's confession - reflecting the true depth of thought he always puts into all his interactions with edwin, under the surface (taking careful note of his body language and what it means, for example, as in the moment when he pointed out that edwin only clenches his fists when he's really tense). but this time he is able to express his care out loud, in words. note how edwin tells charles readily to his face that he is the best person he knows, while charles is able to tell the night nurse (without charles present) that edwin is the best person he knows and argues for him not deserving hell - all this without edwin present

and even in hell (where it's easier to be vulnerable!) the roots of trauma run so deep that charles struggles with the concept of deserving a deeper than surface-level sort of love from the best person he knows, an in-love sort of love, and his own capacity to reciprocate it without mucking it up or continuing the cycle of abuse. he tries to deflect the depth of edwin's love and doubts his own capacity to return it: "great. love you too - can we go?"

love you too is easy, it's the kind of thing you say to your mate on the way out the door or to your auntie on the phone, it doesn't have to mean much; charles has plenty of love for anyone and everyone he meets, including edwin. especially edwin. and there's the thinking it's some sort of an orpheus-and-eurydice thing even without knowing the tragic ending - that edwin's love could be a trap, a ploy, not real, designed to turn him around and keep him stuck in hell, is easier to grapple with than the idea that he is purely and unselfishly loved. edwin loves him without the expectation of return; wants him to know simply because he thinks charles rowland should know how much he is loved. and charles balks at first at reckoning with that! but being in hell, he's able to work past that to express to edwin how much he truly means to him.

contrast this with the moment when edwin tries to bring up his confession, back on earth, trying to suss out if it made things awkward between them, now - and all he can get out of charles is a clipped, short, "it didn't."

but you would certainly think so given how far apart they're sitting, on the rooftop, nearly on opposite sides of it, and facing opposite directions, when so often they are next to one another, looking at one another, aligned. being in hell allowed them to be physically closer in proximity, to touch each other in more intimate ways more readily - i'm thinking about how gently charles takes edwin's hand down from covering his mouth, and continues to hold it. on earth it takes charles thinking they're seconds away from losing each other properly, that they are at last going to actually and definitively be wiped out of existence and denied an eternity together, to reach out and take edwin's hand seconds before the forest elemental swallows them up.

edwin was already ready to engage in this vulnerability before he ever got dragged down to hell a second time. he planned a confession to charles on earth, regardless of and without assumptions on the outcome, never even knowing it might be one of his last chances to do it. he dressed notably nice for it and everything, breaking his own norm because he committed to making it special.

edwin doesn't belong in hell - his soul, his existence, breaks the system and creates glitches and defies the night nurse's logic about the afterlife. hell can't hold him because he has already embraced vulnerability in ways many or most of the other characters are still working towards (possibly he has done this work twice over, if we hold that he had to do some level of self-acceptance to be able to find his way out of hell the first time).

i'm wondering if edwin and despair are "friends now" because edwin has overcome so much of his existential despair. i think the reason she says she will call on him if she ever needs him hinges on this - the hope of escaping despair is, in fact, essential to the feeling of despair, because in recognizing the absence of hope that things will get better, one starts to feel despair, right? and in order to recognize despair one must know what despair is not. and so she needs edwin because he can represent the opposite of her to others; he has been touched by her and steeped in her power and overcome it

i think the show does an absolutely fantastic job of delving into the concept from sandman i've always thought was so fascinating, the concept of hell not being a place you go, but something you carry with you. that it is actually something deeply internal and through that internal work it can be overcome

anyway i don't even know where i'm going with this at this point but i hope what i've said makes sense. tl;dr like... hell as the plane of vulnerability??? intimacy??? authenticity??? edwin payne i admire you, and charles rowland i love you and you deserve love, and despair you are my queen i'm so glad they did you justice

#dead boy detectives #dbda #payneland #charles rowland #edwin payne #long post

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safaiagem · 7 days

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Welcome to another Work in Progress Wednesday! So, if we're getting technical, this story is completed, but I want a chance to give it at least one or two read-throughs because one day, I was writing with a fever because I reacted very strongly to the COVID-19 vaccine [get your shots!] This fic is a little over 7k at the moment, but I'm not sure what the final word count will be once we get the edits in. This fic serves as a pretty decent follow-up to events that take place in both Sleeping Wake/Waking Sleep and The Hour of Separation, but I do try to make sure to give enough details so you can understand more or less what happened. On The Brink Of Hell should be posted in the next day or two and I'm about to start outlining another one-shot in this verse.

"I was wondering when you were going to turn up," Johanna said, and she was not going to call attention to the fact that her voice cracked; she absolutely refused, even if she knew Dream would never judge her for showing weakness.

"The memory and nightmare do not happen every night, and since you have asked me not to interfere with them, this is what I can do for you," Dream replied. He moved across her room almost silently, but Johanna could very much feel his presence as he sat down next to her on the couch. Not long ago, she would have shied away from taking comfort like this, but she leaned into Dream and let him hold her for a moment. "Something else is troubling you."

"Sometimes I think I shouldn't have shown you my tells," Johanna replied, but there wasn't any humor behind it. She sat up and looked at the notebook in her hands. "Edwin, when I first met him and Charles, I said I wouldn't work for free, so I asked for something. You could see it as much as I could, the scars that hell left on his soul, and he told me that he found his own way out." Dream seemed to go very still at her side. "It wasn't a portal or anything we need to worry about; it was a door that was closed after he went through it, so no worries there. He was sent back, and Charles used his notes and map as a guide to go down and pull Edwin out again. So, I asked for his map out of hell for payment."

#dead boy detectives #the sandman #payneland #johanna constantine #edwin payne #charles rowland #dream of the endless #my writing #work in progress wednesday

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misty--nights · 3 months

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And finally, episode 8. This rewatch has been fun. It really forced me to pay attention to the details and I’ve found so many interesting thing I’d missed before. I think by now it’s more than safe to say that this has become one of my absolute favorite shows, and I can’t wait for my brain to insist I should watch it yet again.

Edwin's reaction feels so fair to me. I also did a double take the first time I saw Crystal swallow the memories. Love that Charles is trying to be supportive and stuff, but I agree with Edwin on this one. Those things are so big, how is your first instinct to swallow then whole?

Charles' face when Crystal is explaining her name is kind of similar to the one he has in episode 3 and 5 when Niko is doing something amusing. It's a mixture of endeared and a little baffled that I find so charming

Can Esther understand Monty in crow form or is she just pretending to have conversations with him like how you do with pets? Honestly, I'm not sure which one would be better. Both options have a lot of potential

Someone please give Crystal a hug. Or two. The way her voice breaks when she's talking to her parents, how her eyes get dimmer and dimmer the more she realizes that they suck and didn't miss her, how she sounds when she tells the boys about it, ugh. It breaks my heart

Back to another intro detail, but doesn't the surface of the mirror the skelletons go through kind of look like the mirror Charles sees himself in in episode 7. Like the frame is different, but the surface with the grid lines reminds me of the one in hell

I love the rooftop scene so much. Edwin and Niko have such a precious friendship and I wish we had even more of them interacting. Now I know I've seen people mention how Edwin is so comfortable with Niko's touch and how ge lets her cuddle up to him in that scene. But also, up until this point we haven't seen him truly iniciate touch with others (besides Charles) but he bumps Niko's shoulder when he's joking about Monty and offers her his hand to take. I just think that's neat

Crystal looks tiny next to Niko when they're talking to Jenny

"The whole thing was such a mystery" and "no rest for the wicked". The tone the officer uses for these lines? Chilling. I'm telling you, there's something weird about the people in town at times and the Port Townsend police are walking a line btween purposefully useless and downright sinister

There's something to be said about Crystal offering to wipe Jenny's memories, if she wants. We've followed her the whole season trying to get her own memories back, so it's huge that she's willing to take someone else's if that could help. Because she cares about Jenny, in that same, quiet way that Jenny cares about her and Niko. Also the way she emphasizes that she can take the memories only if Jenny wants that is actually so important to me

For some reason I always assume the girls are going to hold hands in that scene where they're looking for the Cat King and Crystal gives Niko her cleaver back. Even though this is the third time I watch it, I always expect it, and I'm always a little disappointed when all Crystal does is change what hand is holding her own cleaver

Not to question old dark magic or anything, but I am so curious as to how Esther's snake works. Did she already have the snake? Did she find it and make a pact with it? How does it transform little girls into youth for Esther? Also, the Cat King calls it Esther's snake, but then later on Esther says "I never thought I'd be eating kids to stay young and beautiful" so I don't know. Many questions about this

Tragic Mick makes a point of saying the bear figure is a gift and is on him, but the girls very much leave the store without paying for the salt so... Two gifts?

Niko keeps insisting she's not brave, but she was ready to charge into Esther's house after hearing Edwin's scream

Litty and Kingham's coats in the igloo have a dandelion decoration on the chest

#dead boy detectives #edwin payne #crystal palace #charles rowland #niko sasaki #esther finch #monty finch #monty the crow #jenny green #the cat king #tragic mick #litty and kingham #my writing

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utterlyrandomperson · 2 months

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We Do After All Have A Case To Solve

Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives

Summary: When waiting for your mortal friends to complete their quest, one might have to resort to special methods to keep the boredom at bay. However, those special methods are also very likely to backfire.

Content warnings: swearing, tickling.

Edwin gasps and flinches away when he feels ten fingers lightly squeezing his waist. He turns around and catches sight of Charles, who is grinning cheekily.

"Mate, don't tell me you're ticklish?", he aks, though he is fully aware of the answer. Edwin eyes him with suspicion.

"What's this about?"

Charles tilts his head. "What's what about?", he responds with an innocent voice while slowly making a few steps towards the other. Edwin immediately backs up.

"What do you want?", he says, trying to sound annoyed. But the way his voice quivers gives him away. Charles smirks as he keeps approaching.

"To tickle you", he simply says.

"And why would you want that? I didn't do anything to provoke you", Edwin argues, his facade starting to break down. He has a nervous smile on his lips and his hands are raised, ready to defend himself. Charles laughs.

"Well, since we have to wait for Crystal and Niko to return so we can continue with our investigations, I have to find ways to keep my boredom at bay... and, unfortunately for you, tickling you seems like a fun thing to do. And besides, don't start with that 'didn't do anything to provoke you' bullshit. You were literally lecturing me like thirty seconds ago."

Edwin swallows when his back hits the wall. Theoretically, he could just fade through the wall. But somehow, his mind does not catch on that quickly. Before he can make an escape, Charles closes the distance between them and starts squeezing the other's hips. Edwin opens his mouth to protest, but a stream of giggles escapes him instead. He's gripping Charles' wrists but doesn't manage to push them away.

"Charles! Charles, stop thihis at once!", he exclaims. His giggles suddenly become more high-pitched and he bends his body forward to protect his hips.

"Please! You know I cahan't-"

Charles pauses. As soon as he does so, Edwin loosens his grip around his wrists, which allows for Charles to change their position so he's now holding onto the other's wrists. Edwin gasps for air and shakes his head.

"Don't, don't your dare-"

He cuts himself off with a burst of laughter when he feels hands kneading into his sides. He tries to break free by pushing the other away, but he's too weak already.It takes only a few more seconds until he can't take it anymore. His knees buckle and he slowly sinks to the ground, his back pressed against the wall.

Turns out that is exactly what Charles has been waiting for. As soon as Edwin goes down, he grabs one of his legs and buries his fingers in the hollow of his knee. Edwin cries out and tries to pull his leg away but fails miserably. He shuts his eyes and leans his head back, a stream of giggles making his whole body tremble. When Charles begins tickling the front and the back of his knee, he squeals and his laughter becomes louder and higher in pitch. It takes him several attempts to form words as he keeps interrupting himself with wheezes and fits of giggles.

"Not there! Not thehere, Charles I cahan't- plehease! Nonono please-"

Charles abandons his leg, only to grab the other one and repeat the same procedure, pushing Edwin into the next laughing fit.

"It is kind of funny to me that you didn't believe someone could be ticklish on their knees not too long ago. And now it turns out that you are even worse than me", he teases playfully. Edwin winces violently when he grazes his nails over the back of his thigh and Charles chuckles.

"Seriously, you're too ticklish for your own good."

Edwin tries to curl up, but he's trapped against the wall (and still doesn't realise he could simply fade through it... though that probably wouldn't make any difference anyway since Charles could just follow him). He has a weak grip on one of Charles' wrists, but he doesn't have any strength left to push it away.

"Mehercy! Please, Charles plehease."

He hiccups once before he bursts into giggles again. Charles smiles and slows down, leaving his knees alone and tracing patterns over his calfs instead. It's not nearly as torturous and allows Edwin to catch his breath.

"Wow, didn't think I'd ever hear you use the word 'please' in a sentence twice. Your knees must be a really bad spot."

Edwin decides to ignore the blush on his cheeks and scowls at the other. "I'll do what I must to get you to stop this nonsense. We actually have a case to-"

"Oh, stop acting like you are above all this. I know that part of you is enjoying it. Why else would you have conveniently forgotten that you could just make this stop by fading through the wall? Or through the floor, for that matter."

Edwin sighs. Yes, why indeed. Deep down, he knows as well as Charles does that the latter is right. He does enjoy this. Or at least he enjoys the lightheartedness of it. He shoots his friend a glare.

"I will get you back for this", he warns.

Charles breaks into a grin and tilts his head.

"I'm counting on it. But first-"

His hands shoot forwards before Edwin can react and attach themselves to his ribcage.

"-it's your turn."

Edwin shrieks and doubles over. He protectively crosses his arms in front of his chest, but Charles keeps finding new openings. Shortly after, the latter is tickling him all over. His hands dart from his ribs to his sides to his belly to his lower back. When he traces his neck and collarbones, Edwin's laugh falls silent for a few seconds before he inhales and bursts into a fit of hysterical giggles. He pulls up his shoulders and weakly pushes at the other's chest.

"Noho! Charles, for Gohod's sake!"

When Charles doesn't let up, Edwin curses under his breath. It's a very tame cuss, but Charles still raises his eyebrows at it and acts shocked.

"Edwin Payne! Did you just make use of a swearword? How very rude of you. I shall have to punish you for such indecency."

When he grabs onto the other's thigh and squeezes it, Edwin curses again, only this time a lot filthier and directed at Charles. The latter can't help but crack up.

"Wow, okay. Guess I had that coming."

Edwin shudders and frantically tries to push the hands away that have now found the back of his thigh.

"Stohop! Charles, this has been enohough!"

Charles slows down a bit but doesn't stop yet. "Say please one more time?", he asks innocently but with a mischievous grin on his face. Edwin glares at him but crumbles the second the other goes for his knees again.

"Alright! Plehease, please stohop."

Charles nods contentedly and draws his hands back, leaving Edwin as a panting and giggling mess. It takes him half a minute before he manages to calm his breathing and sit up.

"You're a menace, you know that?", he mutters. Charles gives him one of his signature smiles that makes it impossible to stay angry with him. Not that Edwin was angry with him in the first place. But he definitely does not plan on just allowing this to stand. So he makes a show of straightening his clothes to gain a couple of seconds to assess the situation. Then he clears his throat and looks Charles in the eyes.

"But you also know that I promised you revenge, right?"

Charles laughs, but he still eyes the other warily.

"Come on mate, do you seriously think you can get the upper hand over me in the condition that you're in? You couldn't even push my hands away a minute ago."

Edwin purses his lips.

"Maybe not, but I think you will probably let me get the upper hand. Perhaps I should mention that the alternative would be me convincing Crystal and Niko to assisst me, which you know they definitely will. So probably it's better if you just get it over with."

Charles stares at him and slowly shakes his head.

"Oh, you are playing dirty."

Edwin shrugs. "Thought I'd give you a taste of your own medicine. Now."

He suddenly closes the distance between them and grabs his leg.

"Let's see if I'm really that much worse than you."

Charles doesn't even have time to fully process what's happening before Edwin starts squeezing his thigh and skitters his nails over his knee. Despite his mind telling him to grab the other's hands or tickle him back, his body simply goes limp and he collapses onto the floor. As soon as he's lying on his back, Edwin seizes the opportunity and climbs onto his thighs to pin him down. Then he reaches back with one hand to continue tickling his knee while the other hand hovers over Charles to keep him in check.

The latter is bucking his hips and giggling, but he isn't so far gone that he's not able to try to fight Edwin off. After he's blocked two of Charles' attempts to push him off, Edwin clicks his tongue.

"Okay fine. Your knees aren't that ticklish. But I know a place that is."

Charles bursts into booming laughter the second Edwin starts tickling his waist.

"Nohoho!"

Edwin evades the hands reaching out for his own and keeps going, squeezing the other's sides and spidering over his belly. He even slides one hand beneath Charles' shirt and grazes his nails over the bare skin of his waistline. Charles immediately begins writhing and kicking while frantically shaking his head.

"No! I'm sorry! I'm sohorry, I- please, Edwihin!"

He tries to break free, tries to fight the other off. But all of his strength seems to have left his body. He protectively wraps his arms around his abdomen and curls up as much as possible, but Edwin's fingers still find ways to sneak past his defenses.

"Please! Edwin, plehease!"

"Charles, come on. It's been ten seconds", Edwin says with raised eyebrows, but his voice betrays his amusement. He gently tickles the other's lower back when he is presented with the opportunity due to Charles turning onto his right side. He's rewarded with a squeal followed by a stream of giggles and pleas.

"I- No- I can't, I fucking cahan't!"

Charles closes his eyes and focuses on getting air into his lungs. He's holding onto both of Edwin's wrists, but he doesn't manage to push him away. One moment he's close to screaming, the next he's shaking with silent laughter. Just when Charles is seriously considering screaming at the top of his lungs to make Edwin stop, he hears someone entering the room.

When he turns his head and catches sight of Crystal and Niko standing on the threshold, he only manages a very giggly "Hehelp!". But in combination with the tears sparkling in his eyes and the high pitch of his voice, it still conveys his urgency.

Crystal chuckles and walks up to them.

"Alright, alright. Whatever he's done this time Edwin, I think he's learned his lesson. But if you're not sure yet, you can always go for his upper ribs. That'll put him over the edge."

Charles wails and his squirming becomes more frantic.

"Noho! Please don't, Edwin please-"

He yelps when Edwin pinches his ribs, but the other doesn't repeat the action. Instead, he climbs off his thighs, which finally allows Charles to properly curl up on the floor.

"You are in luck, Charles. Now that Niko and Crystal have returned, we can finally continue working on our case, which I think has a higher priority than punishing you for your shenanigans. But this time, please do actually remember the lesson that I - apparently - taught you", Edwin says. Charles is still breathing heavily, but he still manages a cheeky grin.

"You know I won't, mate. Now, Crystal and Niko, would you like to inform us about what you've found out? We do after all have a case to solve."

Masterpost

#dead boy detectives tickle #dead boy detectives tickling #dead boy detectives #ticklish! charles #ticklish! edwin #tickle fic #utterlyrandomperson

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lorastyrels · 5 months

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some dead boy detectives headcanons:

charles loves it when edwin reads out loud to him, he’s totally content to sit around and have edwin read stories to him for hours at a time

edwin being nervous about very simple pda when they start dating; little things like walking together and holding hands, charles would have to coax him into by rubbing the back of his hand

charles pretends to sleep, just throws himself down on the couch while edwin is reading and closes his eyes even if he physically can’t sleep, edwin never complains

edwin writes down little questions to ask charles after they finish cases, modern things like what microwaves do and what online shopping is and charles is always happy to answer even if they can get a little weird

they take walks together, often at night when they’re not working cases. mainly because charles likes watching the living and how London comes to life at night but also because edwin's love language is time spent together while charles is physical touch

hob absolutely rents their office out for them, has probably run into them too many times in the past 30 years so keeps the place up to date. he also sends cases their way. they're two ghost kids he wants to keep safe and they remind him of himself and dream

edwin would rather hear about charles life when he was alive than tell charles about his own. he likes listening to charles talk about what he enjoyed when he was alive

their first kiss would be in the middle of some petty argument in a graveyard while they're on a case and crystal and niko are late so edwin is complaining about the living again and charles kisses him to shut him up under the moonlight

#dead boy detectives #edwin x charles #I truly cannot get these out of my head so i’m writing them down here because they’ll probably become art ideas later on #literally I keep thinking about these and I have so many more but I have to put them SOMEWHERE before I go insane #i love them so much even if netflix takes them from me I will do things for them foreverrr #I haven't felt this for a ship in so longgg ;-;

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greyskyflowers · 1 month

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I really want something where Crystal and Charles see all of Edwins memories. Maybe Crystal is trying some new stuff with her powers and accidently drags Charles with her into Edwin's memories.

Some of it flashes by quick. His childhood, the years with Charles before they met Crystal, the cat king, Monty, a majority of Port Townsend.

Some of it drags by. His death, hell, meeting Charles, hell again, Esther, Niko.

She knows Charles kind of has an idea of what to expect but knowing and seeing are two different things.

Crystal can't even watch most of it. Crouching down and covering her eyes, crying and occasionally making a sound like she was going to be sick.

They can't make any changes, of course, and they can't talk to anyone. These things have already happened and they're just watching them but Charles breaks her heart.

He bounces between furious and devastated.

He walks around the boys holding Edwin down to sacrifice him like he's looking for an opening, around and around restlessly. He knows, even better than she does, that he can't do anything.

Hell is even worse. Charles is clearly upset but he's not surprised, a grim determination that has him trailing after Edwin like a shadow. He keeps up with Edwin, running with him through the hallways and making himself watch each time it all starts over. He runs back to find the new Edwin and sticks close again, right beside him or behind him. He doesn't get in the way or try to stop it, he can't do anything so he's trying to provide a comfort that Edwin can't feel.

He sits with Edwin when he finds a place to hide, just watching him. Sometimes he talks. She can't hear what he's saying but she can guess.

Sometimes the demon doesn't kill Edwin right away and he isn't hiding so much as trying to find a place to curl up and die. Charles follows, sometimes circling him like he had when they saw the boys who sacrificed him.

She doesn't understand why he's making himself watch it all. How can he watch it when Crystal can barely tolerate just the sounds?

She's never seen him so focused. She thinks he might have forgotten she's even here.

Ghosts bleed here, they can feel and, the last thing Edwin felt as a living being was hands holding him down and the last thing he truely felt while dead would have been the last time the demon ripped him apart before he escaped hell. No wonder he's less bothered by iron than Charles. Iron is nothing compared to this.

She wants to tell Charles to come over to her. Tell him to stop watching, god why is he watching?

She knows why though, because he needs to know. Usually the mind can conjure up things much worse than reality but she thinks that neither of them could have imagined something like this. She knows Charles saw some of it when he went to get Edwin the second time but it wasn't a lot. He and Edwin were both tight-lipped when it came to hell, other than Edwin mentioning it vaguely here and there, usually in arguments.

He passes her again as he follows Edwin, again and again, and she goes to yell at him but she stops. His jaw is clenched the way he does it when he's truely furious, and his mouth is a thin line.

Charles can be scary when he's angry, especially when he's angry because someone has hurt Edwin. He would never hurt her but there's a cautiousness to how she speaks to him when he gets like this. Forget the cricket bat, he looks like he'd throw himself at the demon with just his nails and teeth if he could.

The memories go on and he's just as restless during Edwin's second trip to hell, only relaxing when he appeared in the memory.

Watching Esther is hard, Charles doesn't move during this one, just stands by the table Edwin is stuck on and stares.

This one is different and she thinks it because Charles was here for this one. She knows he's in the kitchen, kept in place with an iron collar and stuck listening to Edwin scream.

Crystal loses track of them as she sees Niko in the corner and sudden she needs to see it. She can feel Charles look over at them as Niko dies on the floor but he stays where he is until Edwin is up and next to Niko too.

More memories slip by until they're suddenly thrown back into the real world.

It's jarring, like something smacked them on the back of their heads. It takes them a minute for the world to stop spinning and their thoughts to reform. It's been seconds, maybe a minute, since they'd been thrown into the memories. Crystal feels like she's aged 10 years.

She does think she understands Charles a lot more now. She knows she's going to be reluctant to let Edwin off somewhere by himself, not that Charles would let him.

Edwin looks nervous, looking at them then the floor and back up to them again. He straightens the ends of his sleeves the way he does when he needs something to do with his hands and then he starts to press against each other. He must have a good idea of what happened and what they probably saw.

She remembers one of the deaths where he had ended up close to where she's been curled up. The way he laid on his side and just stared at the wall, quiet and accepting, the way tears rolled down his face and he just kept bleeding. Until he didn't anymore and Charles took off without a word to go find the new him again.

Niko is beside him and looks at both Charles and her with big eyes. She wonders what they look like, if they look any different to her and Edwin.

Charles makes a vague stangled noise beside her, makes a move towards Edwin, and she takes a deep breath.

Right. Okay, she and Niko need to leave. Like, right now. She has a feeling that the boys need to have a very long talk. And just cling to each other for awhile.

She grabs Niko, who looks at Edwin to see if he wants her to stay but he shakes his head just enough for her to let Crystal get them both out the door and away.

As they're leaving, she wonders what she'd do if someone had shown her Niko's death over and over. She looks at the other girl, who still looks worried but gives Crystal a little smile.

Maybe they need to have a talk too.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Two side notes:

*Currently living for the idea of Charles and Crystal going feral over Edwin and Niko being hurt. And vice versa.

*You know when dogs/wolves circle something over and over, like they're trying to herd it or just watching from all sides? Idk for some for some reason I just picture that from Charles in certain situations. Especially when he can't do anything. Just circling it over and over like eventually he'll see something, find a way to do something.

#dead boy detectives #payneland #charles rowland #edwin paine #dbda #palasaki #niko sasaki #crystal palace #solving cases with greyskyflowers

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shobolanya · 5 months

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dead boy detectives is a special show to me because all the characters are so amazing and i actually fell in love with so many of them (and it's hard for me to get attached to almost everyone in a show) here's why!

of course i first thought i was going to love Charles the most, because Jayden is one of the most beautiful human beings i have ever seen in my whole life and actually i do love his character. he's such a ray of sunshine and he's actually so sensitive and sad but masks it with a smile and i ahshhshdhdjd and the way he handled Edwin's confession oh my God.

but after i started watching the show i started loving Edwin. his pathetic little meow meow attitude but also the smartass side have taken a strong hold of me and will not let go

the female characters! at first i was okay with crystal, but after the first episodes i started liking her as well and i especially love how much she cares about the boys and what a badass she is. niko is my moat beloved. an anime and manga lover? YES PLEASE and she's actually so smart and the fact that she keeps the sprites is the best. jenny is genuinely the ideal woman for me, i don't know about them, but if i were in the show i would have asked for her hand in marriage the second i saw her. maybe unpopular opinion but i love the night nurse (maybe because loved rowena in spn and ruth connell is amazing) and i really want her and the agency to be friends

the Cat King became my favorite from the first scene he appeared on because

1.he's a cat

2.he wears a skirt ( men in skirts >>>>>

3.everything he did in the show bewitched me (the last scene with Edwin bshshdgshs)

Esther served so much, what am evil queen

Monty is just a tiny child, must be protected, but also he's a crow and a twink who caught feelings for the guy he was supposed to trap for Esther (anyway i want him back he was a lil astronomy lover)

Tragic Mick aand his story was just so 😭🥺🤲, dw i would have listened to his story, he looks like he tells really wonderful tales

and all the other characters were so cool too, Kashi, the Sprites and even Simon,the cats, the ghosts.

Please Netflix give us another season!

#dead boy detectives #well this is long #BUT #I love them smmmmmmm #edwin payne #charles rowland #crystal palace #niko sasaki #the night nurse #the cat king #esther finch #monty the crow #tragic mick #please netflix pls #season 2 plz

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thegrowngirlguide · 4 months

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Dead Boys Detectives - A Review...Almost

May contain spoilers. If you haven't watched it, don't read it!

Or do. I am not your mother! :P

Out on the 25th of April, inspired in the creation of Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner for DC Comics, the "Dead Boy Detectives" were my company in the past 2 days. Made solely the now usual 8 episode, this Netflix show is oddly entertaining.

Surrounded with magic, love, friendships and cats, Edwin and his unalived friend, Charles, are the investigators one should look for if you have unfinished business while you're staying in the limbo.

Edwin "The Brain" Payne and Charles "The Brawn" Rowland are ghosts and to avoid their afterlives, they help others find their peace once and for all. Using some books and finding new truths, they go and save the day...with some help.

But we'll get back to that soon!

Let me go on and tell you what I thought about these two boys.

Starting with Edwin, I thought he was going to be a sad stereotype on a tormented gay man who lives an unrequited love and falls apart. However, this stereotype is almost broken with only his behavior towards other characters. Despite his love for Charles, he isn't encapsulated by it. He shows affection to Monty, who actually falls for the detective and the most satisfying moment of the show is how he bids farewell to Cat King. A kiss on the cheek, Edwin? How cheeky of you!

However, Edwin also behaves differently towards the girls. But the reasons are quite obvious. Crystal is a possible threat towards his relationship with Charles, Niko isn't. Then again, Crystal makes his constant search for knowledge almost irrelevant in some cases, while Niko questions him, looking for answers with him and comforts him. Possibly why Niko's death affected him so much, she was a big supporter of his methods and the one who would balance the ideas of everyone.

Not to mention, Niko is a delight!

Now, Charles probably a better character than what I expected, to be honest. I never expect much from the main characters, but sometimes I am surprised. This detective has another mission at his hands besides escaping Death's grip. He wants to fix his wrongs, prove himself and the world wrong.

Charles puts on the table some themes from the 80's that have been discussed before in Pop Culture, such as the conflict between Pakistan and India. Maybe it passed from our brains but in "Bohemian Rhapsody", we see a young Farrokh Bulsara - later known as the immortal Freddie Mercury - being called a "Paki", a slur often directed to Pakistan or South Asian descendants. Once again, we see it in the "Dead Boy Detectives", Charles being hated upon for being a South Asian descendant - probably from India, if memory does not fail me. Yet, if you look for the actual Charles Rowland from the DC Comics Universe, he isn't a South Asian boy, which surprised me a little, but in a positive way. It's not every day we get South Asian representations like these in our shows and they made it pretty amazingly. I am in no place to say anything on this matter, but from a white perspective, I thought it'd be worse.

On another note, something that pained me about Charles was how he passed and his life. I mean, obviously, it's death of a delight boy, how could it not hurt? But the cruelty and the solitude and suffering almost beats Edwin's death, in a way. Whatever Edwin suffered in Hell, Charles probably lived it. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get me, right? The detective passed peacefully in his sleep, accompanied by his best friend, who stuck around until his last breath. How heartbreaking.

It truly pulled a string of my heart, but I'm sure you'll know what I mean once you watch the show.

Moving on! Crystal Palace was known for it's changing structure, that could be carried from city to city in order to hold the great exhibitions in England in the early 1800's.

Don't worry, I am not insane, because it'll make sense. Even more if I tell you that this amazing Palace burned down in London, in 1936. Which is the same city where we meet our dear psychic medium, Crystal Palace. A quirky girl at her prime, initially possessed by her demonic ex boyfriend - Ugh, always these guys - who stole her memory and left her clueless with two ghosts to deal with.

Her help became almost crucial to speed up some cases, but even I had to team up with Edwin on being skeptical on her. I mean, out of nowhere she joins and gets to help? I know you're dead, but at least get to know the girl. However, these doubts start to disappear as time goes by and we actually get to know her.

Trusting both her gut and the boys, Crystal shows us that she is more than just a medium, she is almost a diplomat who communicates and unites both the living and the dead. She is also constantly ready to find solutions and trinkets for any problem that my be ahead, which funny enough is one of Charles talents, to use his trinkets to fix problems. What a cute couple!

Delightful couple in fact! Crystal's understanding spirit is probably something that makes Charles love her more than just her "mint" body. After all, they rely on each other for support and affection from the very beginning, always trying to figure out and communicating what they are feeling, be it good or bad.

On the other hand, we learn that Crystal is more than just a medium. Her powers didn't come from David, but herself. It was almost rewarding to learn that it wasn't just a demon, but Crystal that was powerful. Plus, it was passed to her by her ancestors. So could she actually be a witch? Would she be a divine creature? We should stick around and find out. Or maybe... investigate?

_____

Goodness, I wrote so much and I only spoke about 3 characters! I'm probably going to divide this and keep going in the next post. So, maybeee, you should stick around and see what I have to say about Niko. Or Jenny. Or Esther. Or Cat King! If you guys want, you can help me pick and everything! I promise to bring you much better thoughts on them!

Until then, stay safe, drink water, eat and rest! With all my love, Yours Truly

#dead boy detectives #reviewiguess #writing

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grantiskeith · 3 years

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The Garden Path to Hell (William x reader) Pt2

Words: 1.1k

Warnings: Blood, mentions of an attack, hurt/comfort I did not have a real reason to be on my land that night. I wish I had and then I would have someone to blame it on. It happened so fast that I barely had time to form a memory. But here I was, blood pouring down my neck and shoulder. Grasping my wounds and gasping for air, running as fast as my legs would take me into William's land. I collapsed behind a tree and pulled my phone out. It put it to my ear listening to the rings. God please pick up. "Hello, this is William" "William" my voice was shaking while I was whispering and crying at the same time. "I was attacked, I'm in your land, near the lilac bushes" "Stay there I'm coming" he hung up. I laid my head back against the tree and pressed my hand hard into my shoulder that was ripped open. Before a drop of blood could roll from my neck onto my collar bone, he was there. Maybe I had blacked out for a second. There's no way he ran that fast. Maybe I just couldn't see a car. "Oh dear" he said, kneeling in front of me. I felt like I was melting into the forest floor but his calm nature brought me back. He put his cold fingers under my chin and lifted my head up. I let out a hiss at the movement of my cuts and scratches. Tears poured down my cheeks from the pain. "These are deep bites and scratches" he looked into my eyes over his glasses. "Do not be alarmed my Maus, I will take care of you" I tried to nod my head but William put his hand over my eyes and the world went dark. My neck and my shoulder burned, that was the first sensation that hit my conscious nerves. The next was that I couldn't open my eyes. My ears seemed to be the only thing functioning. "Be still my Maus, please do not hold your breath the way you are doing now." I let go of a deep breath, letting my chest completely deflate. Although as soon as I did, a foreign and jarring noise met my ears and I felt my whole body become full of tingles. I gasped and held my breath again. "What was that?" William chuckled to himself, "I will tell you in a moment, I am glad you are feeling better otherwise you would not have been able to ask the question. "Please, open your eyes now" I squinted and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I didn't realize I was even in a bed, let alone lying down. I was in a beautiful office on a bed in the corner. William was on a chair next to me, smiling. I braced my arms to lift myself up, groaning as I did. "Please Maus," he put the tips of his finger on my shoulders to force me back on the bed but I had already pushed my back against the wall so I could look him in the eye, "give yourself a moment of rest." "Thank you for your kindness," I said, trying to match his seemingly constant formal tone. "You have awoken in my office, I brought you here to tend to your wounds which I hope are feeling better, yes?" He put both hands under my chin and lifted my head up slightly. His hands were cold like a mannequin and unnaturally strong, a thought briefly crossed my mind that he was a robot. Once my neck was open to him, he slowly slid his fingertips so gently under my chin. Again he slid them from under my ear and down to my collar bone. A shiver sent down my spine caused me to shake. There was no pain. I lifted my own fingers to my neck and gasped. "What happened! Where are the cuts!" William chuckled to himself, "why don't you relax for a moment and I will tell you in a moment. I will return with some tea. There is a privy around the corner if you please." He stood to go. "Wait! Tell me first please." My shock turned into curiosity. "Be patient my Maus, I will return" he got up to leave. Before William came back with the tea, I heard him discussing something in the hallway. He opened the door but before he came in, I saw a younger man pass him in the hallway. William handed me a steaming mug, "the color has returned to your face, you are enchanting." I knew for a fact that I was not but I ignored the comment in favor of more pressing concerns. "Could you please tell me what happened? Did I dream that attack?" "I

will tell you everything you need to know." He did. He

told me I was most likely attacked by a leprechaun because one was spotted on his land earlier in the day. He told me healed me with magic and showed me on a bruise on my arm. And after he told me all this, I sat silently for a long time. At his request, I stayed in his house for a while longer. At my request, he left me alone in his office to think. The sun peered through the window and I did not see him for several hours. Meanwhile, I was alone in his office reading his copy of The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. The sun started to go down when he returned. "I was certain that you had left, but I'm glad that you have not." He came back looking slightly more refreshed but just as pale. "That is because I have more questions and you have more to tell me," I said, for the first time taking control of the conversation. "I'm buying the idea of a leprechaun for the moment and I'll concede on your healing magic because you gave me a demonstration" I got up from behind his desk where I was sitting. "But now I want to know who are you? A wizard? Some crazy illusionist?" William stood patiently watching me pace the room. "This desk I'm standing behind has to be at least 300 years old and I would just accept that you are a rich person, but that doesn't explain this!" I pointed to a framed photo on the wall. "Is that you and Winston Churchill?" "Please sit back down and I will explain the nature of my being," he said gesturing to a chair on his side of the desk. I wanted to tell them that I would rather stand and that I demanded an answer immediately. But I sat. "I have found in situations such as these that it is best to have the facts speak for themselves" he smiled at me before two fangs fell down from his mouth. I stood up from my seat and walked past him to the door, "Thank you for your hospitality, I'll see myself out."

#redacted asmr #redacted William #William Solaire #hurt/comfort

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bryancroidragon · 6 years

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Finding Maggie and Sams

My fifth Artventure Noir story features neither Maggie or Sams in person. Actually, it is probably because of that this might be the worst story I have written for Artventure Noir yet. Besides Kitkat, most of the characters who appear in this are OCs so I’m not sure how people will feel about this. here is hoping the people at @internetremix like it.

It was a fine Tuesday morning at O’Sullivan Manor, formerly known as “Carthach Manor”, and also known as the O’Sullivan Museum of Egyptology, formerly known as the “Carthach Museum of Egyptology.” Edwin O’Sullivan and his wife Audrey were enjoying breakfast on the veranda of the manor.

Audrey was a young woman the same age as her husband. She was a thin woman with light skin, reddish-brown eyes and straight long hair. She was wearing a blue dress just as Edwin was wearing a red blazer.

Edwin was looking at a letter he had received from the Internet City Zoo. It said they had managed to acquire a young male caracal from the Cairo Zoo and wanted Internet City’s very own Egyptologist to name him.

“I have a few names considered, Audrey” Said Edwin.

“May I hear them, dear?” asked Audrey.

“Akhenaten, Tutankhamen, Ramses, Alexander, Augustus, Caligula and Nero.”

“I’d remove ‘Caligula’ and ‘Nero.’” Said Audrey, stirring her tea with a spoon. “Caligula was, well, Caligula and Nero was the Antichrist. I’m not sure those are the most inviting names.”

“Noted.” Edwin said, nodding. “I should probably remove ‘Ramses’ from the list too since that DeMille picture came out and portrayed Ramses the Great as the Pharaoh of the Exodus.”

“You aren’t removing ‘Augustus’ for how he is often portrayed?” asked Audrey.

“No, I think Robert Graves’ novels will really turn things around and people will view him as a great hero! I am keeping him on the list!”

“So, we have three names that start with the letter ‘A’…” Audrey tapped her teaspoon on her teacup.

“Yeah, looks like we are going with Tutankhamen.” Stated Edwin. “No, wait! Merneptah!”

“For goodness sake, Edwin! Not everyone in Internet City is an Egyptologist! They won’t know that Merneptah was Ramses the Great’s successor and thirteenth son!”

“Of course they will! He was in that Austrian film ‘The Moon of Israel!’”

The subject of the caracal’s name came abruptly to an end as two gremlins came running onto the veranda. One was obviously Kitkat, the gremlin that Sam McSams had abducted but the other was a smaller one that only came up to the bottom of Kitkat’s neck, had a stubby left leg, a right shoulder that was higher than the left and was wearing a top hat.

“Hello, Kitkat. What brings you here?” asked Audrey. “And who is your adorable little friend?”

“He’s Algae Cake!” replied Kitkat. “Maggie was grabbed at the cemetery when she was visiting Leon’s grave!”

“Oh! By who?”

“By cops!” answered Algae Cake. “She was handcuffed by them and then gagged after she bit the nose of this old guy!”

“And they got Sams too!” exclaimed Kitkat. “We went to his place and found the place ransacked! There was a broken bottle and a puddle of blood!”

“What did they say?” asked Edwin. He never was able to understand gremlins they were as intelligible as people who spoke French to him.

“It would seem corrupt policemen have taken Maggie hostage and someone has gotten Sams too.” Answered Audrey. “Oh, Edwin, it is dreadful! You’ve got to do something!” Both Edwin and Audrey were fully capable of managing the museum but only Edwin had ever been a person of action since he had fought in the war of the previous decade.

“I’ll be home once I’ve found Maggie and Sams, Audrey.” Edwin stood up. “If I don’t come back…” He looked at his wife and Audrey could not bear to look her husband in the eye. “I’ll be back home soon. I promise.”

“I pray that you will, Edwin.” Said Audrey, her voice sounding like she was about to cry. “I pray that you will.”

With his revolver from the war and the two gremlins on his shoulders, Edwin made his way to the Internet City Police Station. Police had taken their own police chief captive? Well then, it was best to start at the viper’s nest itself.

Edwin’s paternal grandfather Charles had been buried beneath the police station. That was an odd wish but even odder was that he dictated that he be buried upside down in a baseball bat shaped coffin. Ever since reverting the name to “O’Sullivan” Edwin had made arrangements to have Charles’ body dug up and buried on the grounds of the O’Sullivan estate. That had been a month ago, they were still digging Charles out.

Entering the police station he walked right to where his gut told him to go: Maggie’s office. The fifty-five year-old Robert McFarlane looked up from his desk as Edwin passed and raised an eyebrow when he saw the gremlins sitting on Edwin’s shoulder. When Edwin entered the office, he saw a policeman who had the appearance of a derelict and a bleeding nose standing before Maggie’s desk. He was ripping a photograph of Sams, Maggie and her late partner Leon to pieces.

“Officer Mark Dean…” said Edwin, causing the middle-aged officer to turn around in surprise.

“Mr. O’Sullivan! It is Chief Mark Dean now.”

“Where is Maggie?”

“Don’t know, must have left town.” Dean looked at Kitkat and then Algae Cake. “Since when do you let goblins ride on your shoulders?” Both gremlins glared at the usurper and began pointing fingers at him while quickly speaking in Edwin’s ear. He did not understand a word they were saying but they were getting across plainly what they were trying to tell him. Dean had been the leader of the cops that had gotten Maggie! Dean paid the gremlins no mind and just picked up Algae Cake by the back of his jacket, saying: “Look at this scrawny little runt! How much do you wanna guess he doesn’t survive being thrown out the window?”

“Where is Maggie?” asked Edwin again. “And you can tell me where Sams is too.”

“I told you I don’t know where she is, as for McSams he is probably drunk is a gutter somewhere.” Dean held Algae Cake up to the light and looked at the little gremlin’s left leg. “Take a look at his stubby leg! With his uneven legs he should have been euthanized!”

“Put the gremlin down and tell me where Maggie and Sams are. I know that a group of policemen took Maggie captive and that Sams’ home was ransacked, now tell me where they are!”

Dean tossed Algae Cake onto the desk, the gremlin landing on a pair of handcuffs. “They are with Lorenzo Deutsch, I’m sure you must have met him at the Club Lavender.”

“The sympathizer of that bloc of authoritarians led by the Charlie Chaplin lookalike that sounds like Margaret Hamilton? I’ve met him. Where has he taken them?” Edwin kept his eyes on Dean, he had a feeling the corrupt cop would come at him any moment.

“To that warehouse on the eastside!” Dean laughed. “At eleven Deutsch is going drown them in concrete!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“They will drown! I am not going to be taking orders from a woman ever again and I won’t let some Egyptologist save that damn woman and her goblin-loving boyfriend!” Dean began to charge with a raise fist only to be suddenly stopped. “What the?” He looked down and found his right ankle handcuffed to the leg of Maggie’s desk. Algae Cake was standing there with a smile on his face, waving at Dean. The corrupt cop furled his brow, narrowed his eyes and then kicked the gremlin across the room until he hit the office’s wall. The next thing Dean knew he heard the screams of Kitkat. He turned and saw her flying at him with her saxophone in hand. She ended up bashing her saxophone against Dean’s nose, which had already been in pain enough from Maggie biting it. After screaming, Dean hurled Kitkat across the office only for Edwin to punch him in the face, hitting him right on the nose.

So fell Mark Dean.

With the unconscious cop on the desk, Edwin walked over to Kitkat and picked her up. “You okay?”

Although Edwin could not understand her, Kitkat answered with “I’m okay!” while nodding.

“Great and what about… Uh… Top hat gremlin?”

No sooner did Edwin finish the question did Algae Cake come running over… while holding the top of a mop. “I have the top of a mop!” he said, stating the obvious. “I can flop it on a cop! I can swap it for a top! I can—“

“I think you should stop.” Commented Kitkat with a completely deadpan expression.

Edwin just stared in confusion at this sight. He had seen no mop top so he felt the need to ask Kitkat:” Does Maggie keep a drawer full of mop tops?” Kitkat could only shake her head leading to Edwin sighing: “Okay then…”

The Egyptologist and the two gremlins left the office, leaving the unconscious corrupt cop on the desk with his right ankle handcuffed to the desk’s leg. McFarlane approached the three and said: “I heard everything. Want me to get some men rallied and we’ll go save the chief and McSams?”

“No, stay here and root out the other corrupt cops!” ordered Edwin. “Leave the rescuing of them to us.” Edwin, Kitkat and Algae Cake then left the police station completely.

If only Dean had stayed unconscious longer. No sooner than Edwin and the gremlins left the office, Dean had regained consciousness and took of the phone on Maggie’s desk, turned the dial until he got the number he wanted and said: “Deutsch, it is Dean! You might want to drown those two ahead of time!”

#artventure noir #internet remix #saxophone gremlin #maggie o'hera #sams mcsams

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karmaholmes221 · 7 years

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How Very Curious

Part 6- Refugees

I glanced around, feeling my anxiety beginning to reach it’s boiling point as Hatter banged on the door. A hatch opened at eye level and revealed the face of Duck. “I’m returning a library book, it’s a work of Edwin and Morcar.” Hatter said immediately.

“How does the crocodile improve his shining tail?” Duck asked and I rolled my eyes, my teeth grinding together.

This was taking too long, we needed to get off the street. “He pours water from the Nile on every golden scale.” Hatter recited, clearly just as impatient as I was.

The door finally opened. “Get in, and be quick about it.” Duck said turning and walking up the steps to the controls to the elevator, which was truly a city bus on a customised lift.

“Hello Duck.” Hatter greeted as we all stepped inside.

I moved quickly to sit in one of the incredibly uncomfortable plastic seats, knowing full well how uneasy the ride down was going to be. Duck quickly pressed a button and pulled one of the many levers, sending us down jerkingly. I picked a bit of dirt out from underneath my nails as Alice gasped and stumbled into one of the chairs, her eyes wide. She glanced between me and Hatter, I sent her a small smile as the elevator lurched to a stop. Alice moved to stand up. “Wait” Hatter warned as the elevator lurched again before coming to a final standstill.

I stood up and turned towards the door as the sound of a gun being cocked reached my ears and I came face to face with Owl holding a shotgun and the barrel of a gun was pressed harshly into my spine. I gave Hatter a look as we both let out sounds of annoyance at this all too routine greeting. Alice held up her hands so they were in plain sight as she made her way down the steps, Hatter and I following suit. “Why don’t we just.. put these things away. C’mon you know me and Bielle well enough.” Hatter said as we stepped off the elevator.

Duck followed after me, digging the gun into the area between my shoulder blades. “We have our orders.” He said, but he pulled the gun off of my spine anyway. I took a step forward before turning around to face them.

“Ah, keep that right hand where we can see it.” Owl said as Hatter moved to do the same.

Hatter sighed holding his right hand high. “It’s just flesh and blood.”

Owl scoffed. “Yea, right, we’ve all seen what you can do with that sledgehammer.” Out of the corner of my eye I caught Alice staring at Hatter, clearly confused by Owl’s remark.

“Did you all like the box that I brought you last week, the cured meat and the cheese?” Hatter asked, a sort of cockiness that I had grown used to over time. It was the cockiness that he got whenever he knew he had an argument won.

“Well they’re all gone.” Duck said quietly, lowering his gun slightly. Owl remained poised, though the look in her eyes wasn’t as sure anymore.

Hatter nodded. “Well if you don’t treat me with a little respect, you won’t get another crumb.”

Owl lowered the gun. “Sorry Hatter, everyone’s just a little jumpy.”

Hatter moved carefully along the balcony. “Everyone’s always a little jumpy.” He mumbled.

“Bielle, Bielle! Bielle!” I turned at the sound of my name and a smile instantly overcame my face at the sight of Margret running towards me.

I fell to my knees to engulf her in a hug, I immediately had to force back worry as my arms wrapped around her too thin body. “Oh I missed you.” I said pulling away from her slightly. “How’re your mother and brother doing?” I asked worried that she would tell me that Faith and Charles had given into their illnesses.

“Better, did you bring them more medicine?” She asked hopefully.

I couldn’t help but smile. “I promised I would didn’t I?” I said, pulling out a thin flask of clear liquid and handing it to her. “I got you something else too.” I said, pulling out a chocolate bar, watching her eyes light up at the sight of the treat. “Make sure to share with your brother alright?” I said handing it to her. She nodded and gave me another hug before rushing back down the steps, between the piles of books.

I glanced up to see Alice watching me. She quickly looked away, focusing instead on the huge room. “Where are we?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly, still getting over the the surprise from a few minutes ago.

“The great library” Hatter answered before quickly explaining. “There’s five thousand years of history hidden here; art, literature, law, rescued when the Queen-of-hearts seized power. She’d like nothing more than to see this all burned to nothing.” Hatter said, a hard edge to his voice.

“Who is the Queen-of-Hearts?” Alice asked quietly and Owl quickly rounded on her.

“She doesn’t know the queen?!” She raised the gun again. “ who the hell is she Hatter?”

“Could you just relax?” Hatter snapped and I quickly stepped forward holding my hands up as I moved to stand in front of Owl.

“Owl, calm.” I said, soothing her. “She’s…” I quickly tried to find the best way to phrase it. “Lived a sheltered life, that’s all.”

“Back to the elevator, both of you.” Duck demanded.

“Hatter” I said quickly and immediately raised my hands up as Hatter shifted his jacket out of the way to get at his pockets, causing Owl to jerk.

“Watch that right hand!”

“Have you two not learned to trust me yet?” Hatter said, pulling out two small, wrapped cakes, holding them at eye level to entice the two refugees.

Owl lowered the gun. “Is that a bribe?” She asked, uneasily, her eyes never leaving the food.

“Yes, two bribes. Tasty, delicious, yummy ones.” Hatter said, glancing between Owl and Duck before looking at me. “So hard to make a sensible decision on an empty stomach, don’t you agree?”

“You better be on the level, Hatter, or you won’t make it out of here alive this time.” Duck said as he and Owl both took the food and pocketed it before turning and continuing to lead us down the hallway.

Alice leaned in close as we began walking again. “These are the guys that are gonna help me find Jack?” She asked, keeping her voice down.

“Don’t worry, their boss is a little more… savvy.” Hatter said before gesturing for us to wait and moving forward to disappear through a door just a ahead of us.

“Who are those poor people?” Alice asked me, her eyes trained on the refugee’s who were living between the books. I quickly caught sight of Margaret as she reached her family, excitedly showing them the medicine and chocolate. “Refugees.” I said, pausing for a moment before deciding not to sugarcoat it. “Those who don’t want to be a part of the queen’s world of instant gratification. We give them shelter and try to feed them the best we can but… it is dangerous. If the queen found out they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Why does she want to destroy all this?”

I turned to look her dead in the eye. “Wisdom is the queen’s biggest threat, she controls people with a quick fix.” I said simply as Hatter reappeared.

“He’s ready to meet with us.” He said simply. I gave him a weak smile, taking Alice by the arm and pulling her towards the door.

#Alice SyFy #syfy alice #the mad hatter #hatter #hatter fanfic #hatter x oc #how very curious #part 6

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