technicallyhellbound | for @convincingsmile - Nobody's dying today (probably)

for @convincingsmile - Nobody's dying today (probably)

Edwin knew as soon as he fell through the mirror that something was wrong, and not just a little bit wrong, but the kind of wrong that made the whole world tilt on its axis a little.

It wasn't a misdirected portal, not like the case that had ultimately led them to Crystal, not like many other failures of concentration when traversing mirror portals before, it was something else, and he couldn't place what it was. All he knew was that he'd simply passed through the mirror in question and had landed, hard on the floor on the other side of the room, hard enough that he actually skidded a couple of feet and that couldn't be right because that actually hurt, and hurt in the way he hadn't felt in... well, decades.

It was enough to tumble him against the far wall just from his own momentum, impacting hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs, and that was definitely wrong, because he shouldn't have had breath or lungs. He could see, even through pain-hazed vision that the poltergeist he'd been baiting had, indeed, gotten caught in the trap he himself had leapt over when aiming for the mirror.

That was, however, the last thing he saw before the half-rotted-through loft floor gave way beneath his sudden and unexpected weight, sending him falling, flailing, scraped to ribbons on the broken slats, to the ground below, and he was reasonably sure he'd actually heard something snap on impact, ribs, if the sudden radiating pain was anything to go by, though his shoulder wasn't in good shape either, and that was an entirely different kind of pain, just layering on top of the feeling of the ragged scratches from the wood, and it occurred to him, dimly, that he'd forgotten how much he hated the feeling of blood on his skin.

It had been different in Hell, the pain, the sensations in general, all of it, it had been horrible, yes, but it was so much more visceral now, and even as his vision began to go hazy again, head swimming, his last thoughts were trying to remember how he'd somehow gotten separated from Charles, who had been barely a step behind him when he'd rounded the corner into the loft pursued by the poltergeist now trapped securely above him.

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Charles would happily eat any and all leftovers, yes. He was already halfway through his food, with his mouth full when he heard the man warn Edwin about his order being spicy. Charles knew better than to comment on it all, he knew how Edwin could be stubborn so he let it be.

Though he did wonder how Edwin would handle spice. They got pretty mild food until now.

"If you don't like any of those we can search for some other place? I'm happy to extend our walk, yeah?" Charles grinned, taking another too big bite from his food.

Edwin snorted softly, mostly amusement, as he pulled a napkin from the holder to pass to Charles at that statement, "Of course."

He laid a napkin over the cardboard tray with the potato patties and their little cup of sauce, setting the tray with the samosas on top of it so he could carry both in one hand, breaking the corner off of one of the dumplings to let the steam out, chewing carefully at the pastry, just making a considering little noise at the taste of it, though he knew he hadn't gotten much of the flavor from the filling, "That's quite nice, actually."

Charles forgot to even chew as he watched Edwin take his first bite. He was ready to suggest they should buy drinks, or maybe something less spicy. And he was the most surprised when Edwin didn't collapse in a coughing fit.

"You like it?" Charles asked, his eyes widening as he finally swallowed the bite in his mouth. "You really do?"

He nodded, brow creasing a little at the question, "Yes? Is there a reason I shouldn't?" He was careful with taking an actual bite, minding the temperature as he chewed, barely realizing that he'd practically frozen in his tracks as he did, because the flavor was like nothing he'd experienced before, he wouldn't have been able to name he spices used if he'd tried, it had only been listed as 'cardamom spice blend'.

Another just as careful bite, chewing just as slowly, wholly unaware that he looked a little like a man having some kind of religious experience, offering the tray with the other two dumplings to Charles with a quiet, half-awed, "You have to try this."

Charles let go of a surprised laugh in disbelief, as he watched Edwin eat spicy food and liking it.

"'S just..." Charles started, eying the dumplings. Then he hesitantly reached for one. "I mean, I always thought you wouldn't like spicy food. So I thought you wouldn't like what my mum would make," he trailed off, eying the dumpling in his hand. He hesitated because it was something his mum used to make too. She sometimes still made them.

Charles stuffed the dumpling into his mouth, trying not to think about how he is alive, at the same time as his mother...

"Mmm, this is brills," he munched, frowning.

"And now I'm the one who's gone and put a damper on the evening." Edwin replied at that expression, the hesitance in Charles' voice. He offered another napkin, "I forget, sometimes, that your parents are still alive." Charles generally spoke about them in the past tense, which made it easy to forget he did so because Charles himself was dead and not because they were.

"For the record, however, I do quite like these. I'd only ever heard people describe spicy as something almost painful? This is just flavorful."

Charles sniffed, shaking his head as he took the napkin and was silent a little longer than necessary. He took his time munching before he swallowed the bite.

"Yeah, lotta people don't know what real good spice is," he said. "Mum would- she knows, she had this- has this spice cabinet, yeah? Like, it's so organized and- But yeah, at school, everyone thought tabasco and chili were the only thing that makes something spicy. It's more than that."

And something about Edwin experiencing that hit a soft spot for him.

"I'm happy you like it, mate," Charles smiled softly, looking away.

Edwin nudged Charles gently towards the nearest bench, partly because he did need to sit again, even after not really that much walking, but also so that he could set the other tray down where he could get the lid off of the sauce cup without spilling anything. It would also give Charles a moment to collect himself, or recollect, as needed.

Edwin couldn't rightly remember having food that actually made him hum in contentment, quiet and involuntary, as he did with the vada. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect, especially of the coconut chutney for dipping, but the combination of flavors was delicious and unlike anything he'd eaten so far. He'd already decided that if they were going to be solid for much longer, he'd have to come back here to try at least one other thing.

Charles did need a moment so he was silent as they got to the bench. He munched on his food in deep thought, slightly happy that it didn't taste like his mother's cooking that much. The onions did the trick. He watched in silence as Edwin enjoyed his food, barely realizing that he was smiling even as he was working through things. Because as long as Edwin was happy, he was happy.

So he didn't say anything just leaned his shoulder against Edwin as they were eating, enjoying that they had warmth now. That they had a body that could experience the world around them. He was going to miss this...

They took a longer, slow walk back to the office after they finished their food, Charles slowly working back to his smiles self. Once again feeling thrilled that he felt actually tired when they got back. Though he still insisted in taking pictures with Crystal's camera, so he could keep the memory of this day forever. He loved to have Edwin's picture, especially in so cute clothes. He didn't even mind he had to sleep on the floor again.

It took Edwin only a little to come up with a translation and a possible way of turning the spell back and return them to their ghostly state. So that day Charles was in a quieter mood than usual as he watched Edwin work from his notes.

"So, 's time?" Charles mumbled, crossing his arms.

The return trip to the house, protections and all, hadn't been entirely fruitless, but Edwin was still only working with partial information. More information than he'd had before, yes, but still not everything, and he was guessing that his correction for the date -working the circles to support it being that day's date instead of whatever the original date had been- would even work.

He nodded at Charles' question as he finished chalking the last line, using one of the empty storage rooms in the building instead of working directly in their office, "It is." He set the chalk aside, dusting his fingers because he'd almost forgotten how much he hated that particular sensation, "Worst case, this simply doesn't work and I'll have to dig into deeper research, see what I can find." There was no mention of disbanding the Agency, but he didn't feel he had to mention it again as he'd already made it clear that it would be too dangerous to continue.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, biting at the inside of his cheek, looking over the work to make sure nothing was out of place, "We've only got to step into it, same as any demon trap runework circle." He stopped himself from explaining further, because it wasn't as if Charles didn't know.

He drew himself up, both brows lifting a little as he offered Charles a hand, "Together?"

Charles felt a strange kind of hollowness grip at him as he watched Edwin draw the circle. He tried not to think about it too much because if he did... yes, he just didn't want to. When Edwin finished, he looked over the runes and the circle and found it perfect. Yes. It will... do.

Edwin never said it out loud, the disbanding, but Charles still felt it between them. And only for that reason, he hoped this would work. He tried to cling to that thought, that if this didn't work then Edwin would be devastated. But Charles didn't doubt he would go back to research immediately.

So with a heavy, heavy sigh Charles nodded. He reached to take Edwin's hand, feeling it dry because of the chalk. And it made him smile. He was going to miss these little sensations.

"Yeah, let's do it, yeah?" he sighed, looking at Edwin with a sad smile. And before he could have second thoughts, he pulled Edwin after him inside the circle.

Edwin wasn't quite sure what to make of the sensation that gripped him once they'd crossed into the circle. It certainly didn't feel like returning to his natural state -not that he'd know, really- but it was a sort of deep itch all the way under his skin and into his muscles, it was a sensation he didn't particularly care for, borderline painful, but not enough that he could tune it out the way he so often did with pain.

It didn't take long for it to pass, however, fifteen, twenty seconds, maybe, which was about as long as it had taken for him to realize he was solid in the first place.

However, distressingly, they still had reflections in that carefully-placed mirror, the one that he still wasn't wholly sure was part of the circle or not, but he'd felt it was better to leave it in case it was necessary. The breath he'd been holding escaped him in a rush, "Well, suppose that's that, then."

It was, as Charles had predicted, a devastation, not one he wouldn't overcome, given time and being able to bury himself in research, but still enough of one that he hadn't yet noticed the lingering ache of his injuries was gone.

Charles closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself. As if he didn't want to look at what was happening, despite it wasn't something he could probably see. He held Edwin's hand tighter by instinct, as every time they faced something unknown. The itching came, as if feeling him up, as if it physically wanted to pry away his skin to uncover the ghost under it... but it was only a moment. And Charles couldn't stop the tense breath that escaped his chest.

He only realized he was frozen when Edwin spoke. Charles blinked his eyes open, feeling a tear escape. He gasped when he felt it on his skin, and quickly wiped it away, turning to Edwin. He stared at him with wide eyes, not letting go of his hand.

"Edwin, what- what happened?" he asked, looking around. Even if he knew. Charles knew. He could feel it. "It didn't work," he frowned, his voice shaking from all the emotions that were swirling around in him.

"No, it would seem that it didn't." He replied, quiet but steady, "It wasn't as if it was guaranteed to work as it is." He replied, though it was with the cadence of trying to convince himself of it more than Charles. He knew he'd done the work correctly, it was only the alteration of the dates and the slapdash way of replacing them that was what might not work, and it hadn't.

He was mostly trying to remind himself that it wasn't an unexpected outcome. But that was harder to do than he hoped it would be. He was careful in stepping back out of the circle again, drawing Charles with him, "Back to the office, then, and back to the drawing board, so the saying goes."

It was only when he took a deep breath to steady himself again, trying to stave off the welling of emotion that was threatening to overwhelm him that he realized the tightness in his chest was gone, or seemed to be considerably looser, which was what had him pausing and then rolling up his sleeve, brow creasing at the lack of bruising that he'd been starting to finally get used to, "Well, it did do something, it seems."

Charles grabbed his polo shirt on his chest, as if he could grab his heart and feel it beat. Right, it wasn't guaranteed to work but Edwin was amazing so Charles believed their success more than anything. He was ready! And now he apparently got a little more time... He couldn't help his huffed laugh, barely noting what Edwin was saying.

"Right, yeah, yes, back to the office," he cleared his throat so he wouldn't laugh out loud from relief. God, he hated himself for a moment there. Edwin must feel awful, he thought, finally turning his attention to him again.

He turned his head just in time to see Edwin roll up his sleeve. And spotting the lack of bruises. Charles gasped, reaching out to hold Edwin's arm, as he barely believed his eyes.

"What? Wait- wait, are you? You're not hurtin' anymore?"

His brow creased a little at the question, just rolling his shoulder a little, almost experimental, testing how much range of motion he had and surprised to find there was no pain there, either, from the relocation or from the gouge that also seemed to have healed, "No I'm... I'm not."

His brow creased, turning to survey the concentric circles on the floor once again, as if the answer was there somewhere, "It doesn't make sense for something like that to have happened." He shook his head again, talking aloud as a way to work things out as best he could, but still coming up with no answers, "It was meant to return us to our natural state." He blinked then, "Our prior state, not natural state. This is, it's a step in the right direction, actually. It's been twice translated, of course there's going to be some variance in the language."

Oh. It wasn't just Edwin not hurting anymore, he was healed, Charles thought as he watched him rotate his shoulder.

His eyes widened at the realization, nodding along as Edwin was talking to work through it. But once again, Charles felt that all too familiar sensation of him wanting to do something reckless.

"Natural state, yeah, yeah," he nodded along. But how could he not act upon it? They were still alive, and Edwin didn't hurt, and Charles could just...

So with a low murmur of 'Edwin' Charles reached for the boy's cheek to pull him into a kiss. It wasn't as gentle as he wanted it to be; more like it was a kiss of someone who missed the other a lot. Despite Edwin was never away.

Edwin had only half-realized that he was already getting swept away by research-mode when he heard Charles' addressing him to get his attention, turning back to his partner only to be caught off-guard by the kiss.

Surprise wasn't going to keep him from returning it, however, now that he could do so without his breath catching painfully in his chest, could actually catch hold of Charles' shirt to tug him closer without his fingers and really the rest of his arm protesting the movement.

He did finally have to break away from the kiss to catch his breath, speaking in a rush as he did, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I'd find a way for us to be intimate while still, you know, as we are." An actual smile followed, the hand not still curled in Charles' shirt like a lifeline snaking up against the back of the other boy's neck, head tilting forward to rest his brow against Charles', "But I'm not complaining."

Charles wasn't sure what he was expecting but Edwin kissing back with such a force apparently wasn't. But he welcomed it, tilting his head to take more, moving closer as Edwin pulled him in.

And oh, the way he was breathless when Edwin pulled away made his heart rush even more. Feeling Edwin's touch on his neck even more intense.

"Sorry, 's just, sorry I know you're annoyed it didn't work, and I know we're gonna solve it, but..." he trailed off in a chuckle, knowing that Edwin wasn't angry at him for the sudden kiss. "I'm not complaining either," he said sliding his arms around Edwin's waist, pulling him close. "Just, had to hold back for a long time, didn't I?"

"You did, yes, and you did so admirably." He knew from experience just how much Charles liked kissing, mostly because Edwin had found that he liked it as well, but his injuries had made things complicated the past few days, even Charles' usual casual, reassuring touches had been more cautious, and Edwin hadn't fully realized how much he'd missed them until just then.

He scratched delicately at Charles' nape, smoothing his fingertips across the same path once he'd done so, "We should probably take this to the office as well, the couch is far more comfortable than standing here in an empty storage room." A flicker of a smile, "And less chance of scuffing the circle if we're somewhere else."

"Right, yes, not there," Charles chuckled, nodding along trying to concentrate as he felt Edwin's fingers doing things on his nape. His own hands grabbed onto the boy's shirt in a helpless manner, as he was trying to keep himself from basically carrying Edwin out of this room. "Office, couch, good call," Charles said and took Edwin's hand to pull him there.

"I'll listen to everything you wanna say, I swear I will listen," Charles said, once again out of breath as he pushed Edwin onto the couch, sitting by him too. "Just gotta make up for lost time, yeah?"

Edwin couldn't help but laugh softly as Charles all but dragged him back to their office, collapsing easily onto the couch, nodding in agreement to the stipulations, "Yes, yes exactly."

He hesitated only briefly before shifting over, settling himself easily astride Charles' thighs, knees braced snugly against his hips, cradling Charles' face between his hands briefly before leaning in for another kiss, gentler than the one before, but no less intense for that.

Charles whispered a low curse as Edwin climbed into his lap. He thought he could take this easy, with stride, with more dignity, but the moment he felt Edwin's warmth and his weight on him, he realized it wasn't going to happen. His lap was full of Edwin, his lips were so soft and hot, and there was no way Charles wasn't going to keep his hands off of him.

He grabbed at Edwin's thighs, his hips bucking up just slightly to ease some of the flaring please sweeping him. However, finding fabric under his touch frustrated him. So with a moan into their kiss, Charles reached to pull Edwin's shirt out of his trousers so he could slide his hand up his back.

Edwin made a quiet noise at the move, half-surprise, half-indignation, but not going to argue it either way, because the warmth of Charles' hand on his skin was a godsend and he just groaned into the kiss, all but melting against Charles in the process.

He did, however, remember a moment later that he still needed to breathe as they were still solid, but only drew away from the kiss reluctantly, keeping close, still holding Charles' face gently between his hands, brow resting against his partner's, smile spreading at the contact, "Still good?" Not that he doubted it, he just wanted to see if he could tell how far gone Charles already was by the tone of his voice.

Charles whined when Edwin pulled away, even if only a little bit. But when his lips weren't occupied anymore, he also realized he needed to breathe. He was alive but his survival instinct apparently was still a secondary one next to the need to touch and kiss and take Edwin... Everything felt more intense, hotter, and heavier in a way.

"Uh huh," Charles nodded, his eyes half-lidded as he was trying to focus on Edwin, his lips parted. He rubbed circles into Edwin's back before dropping lower. Charles pulled Edwin to him, pressing their hips together as he asked: "You?"

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