My Heart Is A Haunted House

My Heart Is a Haunted House

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 + 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘪, 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘛

@dbdpromptober Day 1: Mirrors

The ring gleamed gold in the hazy light from the window, twirling and twirling between Charles’ fingers.

It had belonged to his Nani, back in India. The old lady Charles had heard stories from his Maa, but never met. Maa told him Nani would’ve loved him and wanted him to have the ring. To give it to his sweetheart, when he found her.

They’d rediscovered the ring while packing. Carefully stoved away in a tiny box covered in rich blue velvet. Maa put it into Charles’ hands, placing her own on top, squeezing firmly. She never showed it to Dad.

The Payne mansion.

Their new house was called that. What an uplifting thought, to move into a house with ‘pain’ in the name. But Dad had gotten it dirt cheap, so that’s what they did.

The house itself was bigger than Charles knew what to do with. It had enough rooms for half a dozen families, all with tall ceilings and faded wallpapers. It echoed, too. The railing on the spiral staircase in the foyer was dusty when Charles tried to slide down on it.

Abandoned, that's what it was. No one had lived in it for decades. The last family member to occupy the massive space gave up sometimes after 1920. After that, no one claimed the house. The locals said it was haunted and refused to even look at it.

It was some kind of sick joke from the universe that the Rowlands were the first ones to actually want to buy the house. Charles wondered if Dad wanted to punish him for something by dragging him away from everything he knew as his life.

He’d had friends in London, albeit not many who would miss him. He had concerts he would listen to outside of the venue, midnight movie viewings he would sneak into. The city was vibrant and full of people.

A small town in North East Somerset was anything but. It had weathered cobblestone streets, mist-veiled rolling hills and the black silhouette of the church’s belfry, looming over a gloomy forest.

Charles had seen it all after a week. Now he was back in the room he’d chosen as his bedroom, watching how the scuffed up ring could still give off a golden hue when the light hit it.

Maa was out shopping and Dad at work, so it was just Charles alone in the house. He was just about to get up and play some of his tapes to banish the silence when someone read his thoughts.

A note of music, then another. The sound was faint and tentative, and Charles wouldn’t have even picked it up if it hadn’t been so deadly quiet. He froze, straining his ears.

Somewhere from the house, a few more notes were played, like they were trying it out, still deciding on the song. Charles rose from his bed. He moved slowly towards the door, focusing on not making a sound. He grabbed his cricket bat on his way out, in case there was an intruder.

Breath trapped in his throat, he inched his way down the hallway, where the upstairs landing flared down to the stairs.

It was a melody he’d never heard before. Haunting, yet beautiful.

The chandelier had been replaced by electric lights but the old piano was still left in the foyer, a pretty sight to those entering the home but entirely rotted.

Yet somebody was definitely playing it. The music swelled in the grand space, caressing the walls, reverberating in Charles’ chest. He could feel his heart’s insistent beating and he gripped his cricket bat tighter.

He inched closer to the railing to look down.

No one was sitting on the duet bench.

Charles descended the stairs one by one, pulled along by the yearning melody. His arms lowered down to his sides, his grip loosening. It really was a sad song.

He got to the foot of the stairs, mesmerized by the sound. It was like he was breathing in tune with it, taking it in with all of his being. It soothed something inside of him, an ache he hadn’t been aware of.

Charles wished he could listen to it forever.

He took a step towards the piano, his loafer hitting against the cold marble floor.

A harsh sound of slamming keys stopped the song abruptly, ringing in Charles’ ears. The silence that followed was even more poignant than earlier.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Charles breathed, feeling like he’d done something wrong. “I like your song.”

Nothing. He crouched to put his cricket bat down and walked slowly towards the piano.

“I didn’t mean to give you a startle, mate,” he murmured to no one in particular.

It didn’t even cross his mind that the music could’ve been played from a recorder as a prank. The air in the foyer was heavy, and Charles had a distinct feeling that he wasn’t alone. He sat down on the duet bench, facing away from the piano.

“It was aces. I can’t play like that. Or, at all, really,” he chuckled.

When he looked up, he was as alone as he’d been the whole time. A cracked studio mirror covering the wall opposite of the piano showed only him in the room.

“Well, if you’d like to play again, I’d be happy to listen.” He grinned broadly at his own reflection. “Or maybe I’ve just gone a bit loopy.”

Yet Another Dead Boy Detective Fic Rec List

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I've been having so much fun with these, so I've decided to make another! See above for links to my other fic rec lists. ♥️

Like We're Gonna Die Young (Again) by RoseGanymede95

The latest installment in the superb Codependency World Cup series has the boys attend a nefarious house party and grapple with old frenemies, 90s fashion and temporary amnesia. Also fleshes out their achingly sad backstories, but compensates with the triumphant return of Pierre the rabbit.

When I Picture You by Gruoch

Charles gets braceleted by the Cat King instead of Edwin and receives his heart's desire... being alive again. This author has a special gift for taking fun sounding premises and turning the angst up to 11. So excellent.

young blood (never get chained) by ghostinthelibrary

University AU in which half-demon Charles intervenes in Edwin's ritual sacrifice and inadvertently binds their souls together... I'm genuinely obsessed with this AU, it has so much potential for ton of delicious tropes. Human!Edwin getting a crash course in supernatural shenanigans! Soulmate vibes!Found Family! Demon lore! What's not to love??

Ghosts and Monsters by justafandomfollower

Charles is also sacrificed and the boys meet in Hell! Fantastic premise and executed really well. I loved Masterful Edwin taking charge and protecting Charles while inwardly despairing. Highly recommended.

back to back they faced each other by ShanaStoryteller

The Night Nurse has a theory about how Charles was able to rescue Edwin from Hell so quickly... I'm genuinely shocked I haven't recced this one already. Sorry guys, I forgor. Anyway, this has interesting "Guardian" (angel?) lore, great meta and we even get some temporary amnesia as a treat.

boyfriend jacket by skadii

5+1 times Edwin borrowed Charles' jacket. The characterisation is on point, and it has some great OCs (Kyle the snarky seeing-eye cat!) and really sweet payneland moments. Plus Charles' jacket doing its most to annoy the Cat King.

Looking Like the Sunrise by letters_of_stars

Edwin thinks he's cursed so he and Crystal must team up to solve the case of his Mysterious and Suddenly Appearing Rizz. Funny and sweet friendship fic with some quality Edwin-Crystal bonding and discussions of trauma.

The Case of the Anonymous Confession by Mayarenerose

College AU featuring Charles posting an 'anonymous' online confession about his complicated feelings for his bestie. The closet is glass, but Edwin is oblivious and Crystal is in pain. Cute and funny epistolary social media fic done really well.

the middle of something wonderful by KiaraSayre

Does what it says on the tin and gives us a trope salad of cosy vignettes, including a time loop, temporary amnesia, sudden corporality and Crystal and Edwin trying to get a good grade in Party. Wholesome.

My heart is like a haunted house (series) by halffulljampot

Charles (unknowingly) befriends the ghost of Edwin's mother and constantly gushes to her about his amazing best friend/boyfriend. Beatrice is a great OC and it's just nice (though extra tragic) to read a fic in which Edwin had loving parents. Read it for Family Feels and wholesome intergenerational friendship.

the first rule of fight club by e_va

The boys are captured by an evil underground fighting ring. The fic is from Charles' PoV, so the prospect of having to fight Edwin was especially stomach-churning. Still, we get Edwin being a badass and a brilliant surprise cameo I don't want to spoil.

The Case of The... by sophisticatedyet

Edwin borrows Niko's negligee and Charles' brain breaks. There's also a case and giant squids, but Charles' Distracted By The Sexy crisis is the main (hilarious) event.

in those heavy days when love became an act of defiance by aletterinthenameofsanity, JUBE514

Daemon AU and first meeting fic! Loved the worldbuilding, insightful character work and lovely use of Greek mythology. Honestly, this fandom needs more daemon AUs.

spinning around and around in an ocean of grief (your ladder came down to the sea) by Ingi

Prequel to DontOffendTheBees' excellent College AU, expanding on the boys being alive and in school together. Also has its own prequel about their first meeting from Edwin's point of view. This one, though, is a Charles' Bisexual Journey/Feelings Realization fic. So lovely.

head in the clouds but my gravity's centered by shadowquill17

Face Touching: The Fic. I just love non-sexual intimacy in fics and this one is so tender. I also love Accidental Kissing and Feelings Realization so my cup runneth over.

i don't want to rest in peace by handwrittenhello

Different First Meeting fic featuring Poltergeist Charles! Loved the concept, even though it made me sad.

the great snogging debacle of '95 by thatgayprince

Edwin disguises himself as a girl and Charles starts and then defers a sexuality crisis for 30 years. Funny, steamy and emotional.

a beautiful day to say goodbye by ofstitches

The agency take on the case of a depressed house. This is another bittersweet Edwin backstory fic with discussions of grief.

Smitten in the Stacks by cordelianoir

Adorable prequel to lolotr's equally adorable library AU. Meet cute featuring (platonically married) Dad!Charles crushing on the hot librarian who leads Children's Storytime.

Jenny Green: Butcher, Hot Mess, Reluctant Queer Elder by Money_Maker

Jenny-centric fic! The focus is on Jenny and her financial, mental and emotional struggles post-canon, but mentoring Edwin through his queer self-discovery becomes a big part of that. This turns into a really sweet friendship, plus Found Family Feels and some fun outsider PoV of the boys' dynamic.

I've always got more recs so watch this space! ❤️

gotta love when your teacher asks you what types of books you like to read, and you have to say "fantasy" and "historical fiction" because "fanfiction about ghost boys kissing" is not a socially acceptable answer to that question

I know one thing: Dbd is the perfect series for Spooky season 🗣❗️

For today’s and tomorrow’s @dbdpromptober : Blood & Hell

I’m gonna talk about Dead Boy Detectives for a second, specifically Charles and Edwin’s deaths.

Edwin died in a basement and Charles in an attic, and Edwin went to Hell and Charles was presumably meant to go to Heaven. Edwin died by fire (demons from Hell) and Charles died by ice (hypothermia). Edwin was targeted for his queerness and Charles for the color of his skin, the country his mother came from. Edwin never seemed to get along with the boys who would kill him but Charles called his murderers friends until they turned on him. Edwin died by supernatural means while Charles died by run of the mill racist teenagers. They died more than 7 decades apart.

When you look at the details there are so many differences but the story is still the exact fucking same. Two boys who died at the hands of a group of their classmates who decided that they did not fit with the rest of them and therefore must pay the price. Two boys who died on the same grounds of the same school, whose deaths were brushed aside and covered up by people who held the same titles. More than 70 years apart and not a single thing has changed, Charles’ death didn’t get any more attention than Edwin’s, because more than 70 years later the same fucking story happened again.

Edwin’s death didn’t change a damn thing, and it could happen again now because Charles’ death didn’t change a damn thing either. And then the ghosts of two 16 year olds decided that if the adults, if the living weren’t going to change anything then they fucking would. If the living would not grant them justice and would not grant them change, then they fucking would.

Because there was a difference, in the end. Edwin was murdered, and so was Charles, but while Edwin died scared and alone Charles didn’t. Edwin died in a cold, dark basement, but Charles died in warm light of a lantern, even if that warmth wasn’t enough to save him. Edwin died to the sounds of his own screams, his own voice pleading for mercy that would not come, but Charles drifted off to sleep to the sound of a kind boy reading him a book.

The living won’t change. The story could and will keep on repeating because the living will not make sure it doesn’t. The living are messy. But the dead, for all the ways they will never change, will never get any older, they can change the story, at least a bit. Charles and Edwin can’t make sure that no other boy dies at that school, but if the story repeats itself yet again they can make sure the victim is at peace. They can solve the murders and find the lost items and release the spirits who are trapped. The living won’t help the dead, but they can help each other.

So they call themselves the Dead Boy Detectives, form an agency and get an office and help who they can, because they didn’t matter to the living, and many of their clients don’t either. But they matter to the dead.

Their clients matter. And Charles and Edwin matter too.