Charles' shoulders slumped. He knew Edwin would insist, he knew it because he knew Edwin. He let go of a trembling breath, looking up toward the floor they fell in from. If he was a ghost he could go up there easily, but with the floor being so unstable, and there wasn't anything to use in the room for climbing, Charles knew he had to find the stairs again. He bit in his lips in an attempt to bite back any curses that would have left him.

"Right," he sniffed, rubbing his nose for a moment. "Right," he nodded. Yes, Edwin didn't order him, he wasn't like that. But Charles knew when to act. It was how they worked. He pushed the first aid kit toward Edwin.

"Here, if anything, like, goes wrong when I'm not here," he said. Then he took his backpack. "I'll get to the stairs, find my way up," he said, to tell Edwin why he was using the door. He didn't look at him, he just couldn't. This all felt like he was abandoning him. After a moment of hesitation, before he would have gone, he reached for Edwin and leaned in for a quick kiss on his lips. Then, he got up before he could have launched them into another argument.