Work Text:
“Here, I've found it!”
Charles popped out from under the cabinet, one fist raised in victory. Edwin could see the glinting gold band and bent down to help Charles up.
“Wonderful job, Charles.” He held out his hand expectantly and Charles dropped the ring in his palm. It was simple, the exterior polished to a shine, but there was an engraving on the interior:
My dearest even in death.
Fitting, Edwin thought, and… sweet. Mrs Evans had certainly loved Mr Evans to the very end, insofar to hire the Dead Boy Detectives Agency to locate and return her wedding ring after it had slipped from her possession. They had tracked it back to her daughter’s house, sitting safe and sound under some furniture.
It was not a case they would usually take, but Mrs Evans did not want to stray far from her husband’s bedside – she had been fidgety even for the few minutes she sat in the Agency – when he was so near to his end as well. She refused to pass over without him and Charles’ eyes had taken on that glossy look they sometimes got with sentimental cases so the case slip was already being written up before they had even discussed payment.
“Come now, let us return it and consider this case closed,” Edwin said, pocketing the ring safely and turning around, assured that Charles would be right behind.
“Bit of a simple one, yeah?" Charles cringed. "Kinda needed it after yesterday’s slug capturing. Didn't like that one fucking bit.”
“Neither did I. Not to worry, I shall make sure to clear out any future slug-related cases on your behalf.”
Charles grinned, giving Edwin's shoulder a quick squeeze. “What would I do without you?”
“I suspect you would be covered in far too much slug mucus,” he replied, flatly, but the teasing tone of it still coloured his words.
“Eugh, don't remind me. I think Crystal's still trying to get it out of her hair.”
Later, at the hospital with a teary and thankful Mrs Evans clutching onto her ring after giving them hugs that Charles swore up and down he could feel crushing his bones, they watched her settle next to her husband, a ghostly hand hovering over his hardly moving one. A gold band, similar to the one they returned, sat snugly around his finger.
Edwin could feel Charles’ gaze on him, resting warmly. He waited, but there were no words, only a hand reaching out to intertwine with his own and a soft kiss on his cheek before Charles pulled them away, leaving the married couple to their privacy.
A couple of days had passed before Charles brought it up.
“I've been thinking,” he started, then stopped. Edwin hummed as he pulled out another encyclopedia to sort, waiting for Charles to continue.
“Edwin, love.” That caught his attention; the determination in Charles’ voice. He turned around, not before setting the book in its correct place, and gestured for Charles to continue.
“The rings… it meant a lot to them, right?
Mr Evans had died only a few hours after the ring was returned, and the couple had visited the Agency for one last thank you. Their rings were worn proudly, and since then, a line of thought had been winding its way through Edwin’s consciousness. He suspected that Charles had been thinking along the same lines.
He nodded. “Yes, I rather think so.”
“Would you–” A pause. Charles moved away from where he had been propped up against the desk, the lean lines of his muscles on display through his singlet. Edwin resisted the urge to kiss him – not because of any restrictions, no, but because Charles might lose his train of thought entirely and they would get nowhere beyond the couch. “I've been thinking- fuck, said that already. Okay, I'm mucking this up.”
“Charles,” Edwin laughed, closing the distance between them in two quick steps, placing a kiss on his lips, quick and sweet. Charles’ whole face melted into bliss as he leaned forward, chasing after Edwin’s mouth like a moth to a lantern, making a questioning noise when Edwin placed a palm on his chest, pushing him back.
“You were saying something,” Edwin clarified. Charles’ eyes widened and he opened his mouth but Edwin was already two steps ahead. “And the answer you will find is-”
“No!” A hand slapped over his mouth, silencing him effectively. Charles looked at him frantically, shaking his head. “No, no, let me ask. Let me do this properly ‘cause you deserve it, love.”
Edwin huffed against his hand, and Charles removed it with a sheepish expression.
“Alright. Go ahead, then.”
He took in a breath. “Okay. I love you, and I know you love me too. And I want you, in every way there is, yeah? Because it’s you and me forever and there’s nothing in this world– or any other plane of existence really, that could stop me from loving you forever. So, obviously, I’m very happy right now and you can say no– don’t look at me like that! You can. Because I’m asking you.” His voice became serious, the determination from earlier resurfacing. “Edwin, love, do you wanna get married?”
“Yes.”
“We don’t even need the rings or anyth- oh.”
Edwin held back another laugh, letting Charles take his hands. They fitted perfectly, with Charles rubbing circles into the back of his hands, and how could Edwin ever say no to this perfect boy?
“And if we are to be married, we shall do it properly. With rings,” he added with a decisive nod and Charles was looking at him with that stunned expression, eyes full of adoring love. Edwin was being pulled into a kiss, long and hungry, leaving him breathless.
“You’re sure?” Charles asked when they separated, foreheads resting against one another. Edwin rolled his eyes, tugging at their still intertwined hands.
“Of course, I am, Charles. I love you dearly. For eternity.”
Charles giggled, sweet as anything. “Okay, but I’m popping the question properly later, yeah? I just… I couldn’t wait. I needed to know.”
“Oh, darling. The answer would always be a resounding yes. I have also been thinking about it since Mrs Evan’s case. I suspected you might bring it up soon enough; you were becoming distinctly fidgety.”
“Oi!” Charles protested. “You just let me flounder like a fish out of water without saying anything?”
“I will remind you I did say something before you so rudely covered my-”
Then he was being kissed again, the rest of his words dying in his throat, and Edwin could not even bring himself to mind, not when Charles had wrapped an arm around his waist, trapping him securely against his body. Yes, Edwin thought, a bit deliriously, rings were definitely a must.