Chapter Text
For as long as Charles could remember Edwin had always been the strong one in their partnership. Now Charles may have been known as the brawn, but he was never as strong as Edwin.
Even from the very first moment that they met, when Charles was cold and dying in the attic Edwin was strong. He kept his calm as well as allowing Charles to die in a peaceful manner.
He put his own suffering aside even though he had just escaped literal Hell.
It had always been that way, the entire thirty years they had been together everything was fine until it wasn’t. It didn’t seem like an unordinary day to begin with. The two had opened the office for business as usual and sat chatting at the desk waiting for a new client to arrive.
Charles seemed to notice the man first, an older man dressed to the nines looking like a priest straight out of film phased through the door.
“You alright mate?” questioned Charles, “You look proper dressed up mate, looks like you came straight out a one of those old religious films”
“Of course I am not alright. I was recently murdered by my very own church I preach to. Not only am I appalled by there abysmal behaviour they seem to have managed to dispose of my body so I am incapable of a proper burial and my ascent to heaven of which I am deserved”
“Not to worry mate I’m sure me and my partner here can find a way to help you pass on, isn’t that right Edwin,” It was only as Charles looked in the direction of his partner that he noticed the stiffened posture and scared expression on Edwin’s face.
“You know what mate, we need a tick to do some research on your problem so how about you rejoin us for our business hours tomorrow so we can better assist you. How’s that for ya?”
“I suppose I would like to watch the boys of my church one last time before I pass on. Business hours tomorrow it is. Say your partner there reminds me of one of my favourite pupils, he always was a quiet one. Made the teaching more fun. I’ll see you boys tomorrow I suppose,” and with those parting words he was gone.
It was like the world unfroze the second he phased out the door. Edwin who had been still up until this moment seemed to no longer be able to keep himself together. Aggressively tugging at his hair and banging his fist on the desk. He seemed to curl in on himself as he began to aggressively rock back and forth shaking the chair in his commotion.
Charles was unsure of what to do. He had noticed the strange behaviour and removed the client as fast as he could, but before he could get a word in too Edwin it was as if he was no longer sitting in front of him. Edwin was always proper, making sure to gel his hair so that every hair was in place and always had on proper clothes. Suddenly it felt as though Charles was meeting a new facet of Edwin for the very first time.
“Edwin… I’m not sure what’s happening right now, but that blokes gone and uh… he doesn’t need to ever come back. I mean being a priest and all he should pass on pretty quickly and all that,” The words sound uncertain even to Charles himself, but he is at a total loss of what to do in this situation. It seemed as though Edwin couldn’t hear him at all.
“Mate, I just need you to tell me what to do all right. I don’t… I don’t know how to help you and it’s starting to bloody scare me yeah.
Edwin seemed to stare straight through Charles to where the Priest had been standing moments ago.
“Please don’t leave me with him. I don’t, please, I don’t want to be alone with him please. Father… Father please I cannot stay here. Please I will do whatever it is you want of me as long as you stay… Father please,” Edwin is begging at this point movements uncontrollable to the point Charles is sure the chair is going to break.
That’s when the screaming begins.
Raw and filled with pure terror is Edwin screaming at the top of his lungs. Loud enough that Charles stumbles back away from the gut-wrenching sound.
Unsure of what to do Charles slowly begins to untangle Edwin’s hands from his hair. Instead holding them tightly within his own grasp stopping Edwin from his self inflicted pain.
“Edwin… I don’t know where you are, mate, but I need you to come back to me, yeah. We’re sitting in the office, at your desk that you insisted on carrying up twelve flights of stairs, and I’m right here with you. I don’t… I don’t know what happened to you when you were alive but you're not there anymore and I… I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you like that ever again.”
“I just need you to come back to me mate, wherever you are just come back, yeah. I proper need you. I can’t do all this afterlife stuff without you so, yeah.”
An uneasy silence passes over the room. Edwin had stopped screaming as Charles began talking so he thought his talking at least helped somewhat. Just as he was getting ready to begin speaking again Edwin beat him to it.
“Char… I don’t know where…where am I?” Edwin began to frantically look around the room, eyes darting as if trying to find someone else in the empty office.
“I got you mate. I got you, just take it easy alright. We’re in the office, yeah. Same old office we’ been in for thirty years. Just me and you, yeah. No one here but us, alright.”
Slowly Charles began to pull Edwin towards him, until they were curled up together. Edwin resting atop Charles with his head nestled in the crook of his neck.
“Please don’t leave me alone with him. I don’t want it, no one believes me. He tells me I need it, but I promise I’ll be good. I can be good, I’ll do anything else. All of the chores, all of my lessons, and I won’t complain either. Just no more, I can’t take it any more.”
It seemed as though Edwin was trying to attach himself to Charles as tightly as he could, and all Charles could do was hold him back just as tight. While he tried not to think of all of the horrible things the Priest must have done to Edwin to cause something as horrible as this.
“You are good Edwin. I swear it to you. You will never have to see him again. I promise there is nothing that could convince me that you aren’t good. I will always keep you safe from harm. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”
“I’m a freak. The bible and Father both say so, that's why I see Father Moore. Father says I’ll end up in an asylum if I’m not corrected, but it hurts so bad. I didn’t know anything could hurt so bad.
Char? Do you really promise to protect me even though I’m a freak?”
Charles didn’t know his heart could be crushed any farther than it already was but hearing the hint of desperation in Edwin’s voice made his heart burn,” My love, you are the most amazing person I have ever met and there is nothing… nothing that I would not do to protect you from more pain.”
The pair sit in silence for a while simply listening to the sounds of one another breathing, taking in the comfort of being together. Charles is lost in his own head thinking about how Edwin was so mistreated he believed it right that he was raped. How his own father condoned for it to happen. Charles was planning on going out with his cricket bat when a small voice broke him from his thoughts.
“Char…will you read me a story please. I want to hear about Neverland”
“Of course I will lovely”
With that course of action Charles carefully lifted Edwin up before carrying him over to the bookcase in search of “Peter Pan” before carefully heading to his bedroom where he read aloud all about Neverland for Edwin as he dozed lightly, his head laying on Charles’ chest.
As he read Charles could not help but think of all of the very un-Edwin mannerisms of the evening. Charles knew enough about soldiers to have at least heard of PTSD, but he had never seen how truly terrifying the flashbacks could be. Even so it still seemed strange, Edwin had acted almost younger it seemed as if he truly was the age he was back when the Priest was… godforbid raping him.
He put all of those thoughts aside. None of them matter right now anyway, It was strange to see Edwin so calm now and even curling into his touch instead of keeping him at an arm's length.
Thirty years they had known each other, and thirty years it took for Edwin’s walls to come crashing down. Charles chose not to dwell on the negatives, maybe this would be the final straw for Edwin to open up to him about his life.
For now Charles was content with holding Edwin close and keeping away the demons while he got some much needed rest. Unsure of what the morning may bring, Charles pulled Edwin closer before closing the book allowing himself to rest as well.
And if a certain Priest client never reappeared in the office again. Well that would be for Charles to know. It was such a shame he couldn’t see his punishment in Hell. The red light as he was dragged down by the demons would be enough for Charles.