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Edwin typically didn’t disguise himself as a teenage girl. He normally went for women, of course, but that was just because he was borrowing the very clear strategy of Miss Marple and using the fact that women were so often overlooked to his advantage. At least, that was what Edwin had always told himself. Since… certain revelations he had discovered in Port Townsend, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he enjoyed disguising himself as a woman.
But, regardless of the reason he chose women, the age remained pretty consistent. He preferred to disguise himself as an older woman. Adults had more freedom. People didn’t immediately assume malicious intent like they normally did with teenagers.
However, that case was different. At Finbrook School for Girls, one of the hockey team had beaten a teacher to death. The teacher had asked the agency to solve her murder which was all well and good if the hockey team didn’t immediately close ranks because apparently none of them like the teacher very much. Crystal had agreed to try to infiltrate the group, Edwin watching over her, while Charles tried to get the ghost teacher to be honest with them about things she might have done to upset the teenagers. Crystal had had one stipulation with the plan: if she was going to infiltrate the popular girls, she needed to not be seen talking to herself. Hence Edwin was left to follow her around school looking like a teenage girl.
But he didn’t mind it. He sat at a lunch table in the cafeteria, watching as Crystal talked with the suspects and picked up the spoon the provided with his lunch tray to study his reflection. His hair was long and wavy, allowed to hang loose over his shoulders. He’d decided against having his disguise wear make-up, preferring instead to give himself a sort of mousey appearance that he thought would mean he wouldn’t get any attention from the other students. He didn’t approve of how Crystal made him wear the uniform, however. He had tried to have his tie done up in the correct knot and his blazer buttoned properly but Crystal had said that he was liable to get bullied if he did that and if she was going to get into the good graces of the hockey team, she needed to not be seen associating with a social outcast. Edwin had vetoed her suggestion that he have his skirt pulled up so it stopped at mid thigh instead of correctly at the knee. He was not a maverick after all.
Placing the spoon down, Edwin got back to watching Crystal. She seemed to be well on her way to integrating herself with the group, helped in no small part by the way her newly rediscovered parentage allowed her to splash the cash a little. As Edwin sat there, he noticed Charles coming in. The ghost boy walked across the room, seeming to almost bask in the school life around him, as he moved toward Crystal to check in with her. Edwin tracked Charles’ movements across the room like he was in some sort of trance and a sorrowful smile played across his lips. He knew his friendship with Charles was enough. It was more than enough. It was the best thing that had ever happened to Edwin. But it was also… He wanted more. His heart broke over how wonderful it would be to be in a relationship with Charles, to hold his hand, to press gentle kisses to his handsome face, to let Charles know that there was nothing he could do that would keep Edwin from loving him. He fantasised about it and had even gone so far as to apologise to Charles for it. Charles had laughed, said he was flattered.
“Rather me than the Cat King,” he said with the sort of chuckle that made Edwin’s ghostly heart race.
When Charles looked toward Edwin, Edwin waved. He watched confusion dance over his friend’s face and saw Charles peel away to make his way over to them. Edwin waited patiently for Charles to give his update on the case.
“You can see me?” Charles questioned.
“Of course, I can…” Edwin began.
He cut himself off. Charles didn’t recognise him. Not like that. Edwin supposed he might have if he had considered it deeply but Edwin had to admit he didn’t look much like himself, even if his features had mostly stayed the same. Beyond the fact that he never took the form of a teenage girl, he looked… Rather unprofessional. He was wearing the uniform the way he would never wear a uniform.
And suddenly Edwin found himself at a crossroads. The obvious answer was to tell Charles who he was. But the way Charles was looking at him, the way he was pulling at his jacket to make sure it rested over his shoulders just right…
It was the way Charles acted when he had met a girl he found attractive, when he wanted to impress a potential romantic interest.
And he was doing it for him.
“Yes,” Edwin said, pulling on his best smile. “I fell down the stairs as a child, almost died. I have been able to see ghosts ever since.”
“A classic,” Charles said with his signature smile.
He slotted himself into the seat opposite Edwin.
“So what do you know about the murder of Ms Cartwright?” Charles asked. “I only ask because me and my friends are part of a detective agency that solves crimes for ghosts. There’s me and another boy called Edwin, you might have seen him around, and then Crystal, who’s over there, talking to the hockey girls. It’s aces, right?”
Edwin arched an eyebrow, wondering how many of Charles’ romances had involved him using the detective agency to try to impress girls.
“Yes. What an original idea. A ghost detective agency. Fascinating.”
Edwin racked his brain of how to speak like a modern day teenager but nothing came to mind. He supposed his brain had simply short circuited with the way Charles was sitting across from him, looking at him like he was the only person on the planet who could possibly matter. It took all of Edwin’s self control to stop himself from reaching across the table to kiss Charles immediately.
“I am afraid I am a new student though. Not much help for your murder investigation.”
“People can be useful in other ways,” Charles said. “And it’s nice to meet someone who can see me, especially someone so brills.”
“Brills,” Edwin said, turning the word over in his mouth. “I like that.”
“Well, there’s plenty more where that comes from.”
“Are you saying you would like to spend more time together, sir?”
“Of course. Unless you don’t want to. Either way is fine by me. I just… it feels like I already know you.”
Edwin knew it was a mistake. He knew he should have told Charles who he was the moment Charles had made the mistake. But it was like one of his fantasies came true and he couldn’t resist. He just couldn’t.
“How about, once this case is wrapped up, me and you could get some coffee sometimes?”
“Ghosts don’t eat or drink,” Edwin said.
“A walk then,” Charles grinned. “I could teach you more of my smooth 80s slang.”
Edwin wanted to say yes but he knew he should say no. A battle waged within, guilt wrestling against desire for control of his mouth.
And then Crystal came over.
“Come on you two. I’ve got a lead,” Crystal said.
“I… Wait…”
Charles turned back to Edwin, his jaw dropping.
“Edwin?” he choked out.”
Edwin glanced around the room, wanting to look everywhere but Charles’ eyes. And the moment he was sure that no one was watching him, he dropped the disguise. Then he got to his feet, turning to Crystal.
“Please lead the way.”
They’d not had much chance to talk since what had happened had happened. The right half defender had followed Crystal out of the lunch hall and tried to kill her. The boys had rushed to intervene and found the evidence that allowed Crystal to prove the young woman had killed Ms Cartwright.
Once Ms Cartwright heard the news, she thanked them and the boys had run off. They were aware that they were on Earth with the Lost and Found Department’s permission but that didn’t mean they were keen on taking the risk that Death wouldn’t collect them when she saw them. Once they were sure they were far enough away that Death wouldn’t bother with them, the boys slowed to a stop. Edwin glanced toward Charles, going to smile at his best friend to show how the job had been well done.
And then he remembered all that had happened. His stomach twisted with guilt and he turned away. What had he been thinking? He needed to be better than that. Charles was willing to continue their friendship despite his feelings but that was going to change very fast if Edwin couldn’t control himself. They had been flirting. He had tricked Charles into flirting with him. He felt dirty and cruel.
“You alright, mate?” Charles asked.
“Yes. Of course. I am fine,” Edwin said, stiffly. “We should get back to the office, see how Crystal is after her ordeal.”
“I guess so, yes,” Charles said.
Edwin swallowed thickly. He steeled himself, turning to face Charles.
“I would like to…”
He found himself trailing off, finding that Charles was a lot closer than he had thought he would be. Still Edwin steadied himself.
“I would like to apologise,” he said. “What I did was wrong and entirely unprofessional and unforgivably inappropriate.”
“Maybe not unforgivably,” Charles replied. “It’s nice to be flirted with every so often, makes me feel special.”
“But it should not come from me,” Edwin told him, firmly. “Especially not since I confessed how I felt to you. I am your friend and should maintain that boundary.”
Charles placed a hand on Edwin’s arm, smiling.
“You could just tell me I am irresistible, mate.”
Edwin glowered at him.
“We need to handle this professionally, Charles. If there is no chance of us having a romantic relationship then I do not want my feelings to-”
“Who said there was no chance?” Charles asked.
Edwin shifted. He knew Charles hadn’t said there was no chance in so many words. He had said they had eternity to work out how they felt. But Edwin knew. He knew the state his soul was in. He had been to hell twice, was selfishly trying to save as many souls to earn salvation for his own when the time came. Charles was perfect. He was witty and charming and brave and had stayed when Edwin was sure he had some wonderful afterlife waiting for him. He had died because he had saved a life! Of course he was giving up paradise!
And for what? So he could be mooned over by Edwin Payne, the boy with a soul so messed up a witch decided to make him a battery?
“There’s not no chance,” Charles said. “There never was. I just… I needed time to know how I felt and at that time I was dealing with a lot of big messed up emotions. I mean, between the Devlin murders and those baseball playing jerks and the fact that my best friend had just been dragged to hell… But then in that lunch hall I was sitting across from you not realising it was you and you were yourself. You didn’t act like some girl you thought I would date just because you looked like one. You acted like you and I really wanted to go on a date with you.”
“So you’re just into girls,” Edwin finished.
“Detectives shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Charles warned softly. “Facing you, without having to worry about what it would mean to the amazing friendship we have, I wanted to date you, Edwin. Whether you were a girl or a boy or a face sucking demon. Well, maybe not a face sucking demon but you get what I mean.”
Charles threw out his hands in a look of surrender.
“I think I don’t need eternity to figure it out after all. I really want to go on that walk with you, Edwin.”