[ Brills & Aces. ] Charles R. / Reply. - Tumblr Posts
charles r. tag dump:
[ brills & aces. ] charles r. / answered. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / about. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / headcanon. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / interaction. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / style. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / aesthetic. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / likes. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / fc. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / reply. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / musings. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / music. [ brills & aces. ] charles r. / visage. dyn: you are the most important person in the world to me. // lastedpromise. re: charles / edwin.
edwin is nothing if not stubborn. it’s something charles has become quite acquainted with in their thirty years of friendship, but it’s also something he wouldn’t dare change about his best friend though he’s certain that crystal would disagree. he never unanticipated a back and forth—he knew edwin well enough to know that the brains of the operation would never go down without a fight.
“ ‘foolish’ ? ” he scoffs half-heartedly with a roll of the eyes. “ i’d hardly call keeping you safe ‘foolish’, mate. never said you couldn’t protect me with your magic, did i ? i’m just saying that—as i told you before—i’d feel a whole lot better if you knew how to properly defend yourself with your fists. ”
charles will never pretend to know how to do magic like edwin can—much preferring to let his fists do the talking, no matter how brash it might be. he has an appreciation for edwin’s arcane affinity, and is more than happy to benefit from the wards placed upon his cricket bat, but that doesn’t change the fact that if someone were to be up in edwin’s face he could find himself in quite the predicament.
“ tell you what—i think we’d be doubly safe if you found yourself a weapon of your own. besides a wand or string. and i could teach you how to wield it, yeah ? it’s the least you could do if you won’t learn to throw a proper punch. ”
@loyalpromise + ask
from the moment the two boys met it had been a constant to and fro of protection. edwin would do all in his power to protect charles as the other would do for him. it had only grown more prominent as the years wore on. sure, charles more often than not played the dashing hero wielding his cricket bat but edwin could fend off the odd attacker with his spells and wit.
this argument as playful as it is is common ground.
" be that as it may being the brawn does not have a stipulation for putting yourself in harms way in a foolish attempt to protect me. if you are permitted such recklessness with your afterlife i am afforded the same. "
but he can't help but feel comforted. charles does it out of love for his best friend. but also due to the constant pains and fears chasing edwin. the pain he has suffered in his afterlife is vast and charles seems hellbent on making sure that list never grows.
" i however can concede that you are much better than i in the physical elements of protection. but i find myself better equipped with the arcane such as my new wards for your cricket bat. i added a few protection ones for both our benefits. "
charles was sure he didn’t need to remind edwin that he’d do plenty of things that ‘disregard his own safety’ if it meant that edwin didn’t come to any harm. and he’d do it time and time again—going to hell included. charles knows he’d go back in a heartbeat if he had to if it meant saving edwin again.
still, on the off-chance that didn’t happen, the point still remained. being good at fisticuffs—charles can’t stop his lips from twinging upwards into an amused smile at that word—or not, some form of physical defense was needed.
“ what’s that now ? ” charles asks, interest piqued at the mention of fencing. somehow, despite edwin not being the sporty type, charles could envision it all too well. “ well, that’s perfect, mate ! we just need to get you one of those thin swords and go from there. ” he’s already making training plans in his head.
“ you’ll need someone to practice with, of course, but i could do that, couldn’t i ? just as long as you don’t poke my eye out. ” as if he weren’t already dead. but he was starting to suspect that he would be able to feel that, at the very least.
they've both very stubborn. it is part of what makes them work so well. edwin is glad that charles has such a strong sense of right and wrong. his want to protect the elder spirit means that he can finally feel safe in his afterlife. his dedication to edwin even leading him on a fools errand to hell to retrieve him. edwin would not have faulted charles for forsaking him but he knows charles would never forgive himself.
" it is when you do so with total disregard for your own safety. and while you are quite adept with your fists i have never found much talent when it comes to fisticuffs. "
the magic edwin has learned over the years has come in quite handy over the years. especially with the cases getting more and more advanced as their names got out into circulation. but charles does have a point. he has found of late that if split up edwin cannot defend himself easily.
" would now be the time to tell you st. hilarions during my time had a fencing program? " it is not something he has hidden but it has been a very long time since he had held a saber. " i was not the greatest but it is the one weapon i have some knowledge with. "
edwin is cute—really cute. it isn’t exactly news ( charles has been able to acknowledge his best mate’s attractiveness all along ) but the way he acknowledges edwin’s attractiveness certainly is. from the moment edwin had confessed his love for charles to the moment charles could feel their lingering hug in his heart to even now, his perception of his best friend has warped—but in a better way than he could’ve hoped for.
at first, charles had minor worries that the budding relationship of something more would squander their already brilliant friendship, but nothing had really changed. it felt more like that something had been added to their relationship than stripped from it—a welcome relief for charles, really.
so, he can tell himself that edwin is cute and feel the urge to hold him and give him little kisses without any underlying issues. while they haven’t quite labeled themselves, it’s something charles knows they’ll have to discuss eventually, but until then…
“ yes, yes, ” he agrees with a hum, “ but y’know she was just messin’ with ya, mate. i’m sure she’d agree with you…maybe in secret, but she’d agree nevertheless. ” he tilts his head to lightly rest against the top of edwin’s, nestling into a feeling of comfort that he never thought he’d get to feel again.
he can feel his olive cheeks darken in a small blush, still not quite used to their flirtatious bantering—as much as he does enjoy it. he can feel a warmth spreading in his chest as he responds, “ i’d dare say that makes two of us… it’s…nice, just having a moment together like this, innit ? ”
it remains to be a foreign concept, the sensation of touch. nothing at all like the painful burn of iron or sharp sting of a cat scratch, the agony of being ripped apart by dolls in the depths of hell, but so undeniably real that edwin had long forgotten how it felt to actually feel in a way that wasn't negative. and to say he's grown to be a bit addicted to it would prove to be an understatement, but then again, perhaps it's just because it's with charles.
he regards charles' light-hearted words with a short hum, allowing himself to sink further against his side, seeking his comfort physically instead of only emotionally. the warmth that presses against him is still a bit staggering, but hardly unwanted.
"my garters are a staple of my look. i am positive she knows she could never recreate it in her own questionable wardrobe," he mumbles, still a bit sour about her teasing, mouth half pressed against charles' shoulder.
"but," he continues, softening as he allows his bitterness to simmer out, his tone growing quieter and perhaps even a bit sweeter around the edges. "i am alright. quite alright now, in fact.."