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“Oy Whiskers.”
The Cat King sat up from where he had been lounging on his throne. He might not be a fan of Charles but where Charles went, Edwin followed.
“What are you wearing?”
Cathaniel rose to his feet with a smirk, feeling quite pleased with himself.
“I’m trying something new. Do you like it?”
He did a spin, so the hot pink skirt flared out around his knees. Rose quartz sparkled at his ears. He wasn’t wearing a shirt today because he hadn’t felt like it that morning and was doubly pleased with himself as it made it so easy to put a show on for Edwin.
He stopped his spin gracefully, facing them with a bow and looked up. His good mood faded, replaced with worry.
“Where is Edwin?”
Charles yelped and a cat jumped from his arms to sit between him and the Cat King. It was a brown tabby with black fur around his ruff in the shape of a bow tie.
“Well now,” Cathaniel said slowly. “This is a surprise.”
He crouched down in front of his throne and twitched his fingers. The cat’s emerald eyes followed them, and his tail flicked. Cathaniel contained his grin and tempered it into a gentle smile.
“Come here Edwin,” he coaxed and twitched his fingers again.
Edwin’s tail flicked back and forth. The Cat King waited patiently until the tabby finally approached him. Gently, he lifted Edwin up and then proceeded to overbalance as he found his arms full of ghost. He stumbled back onto his throne, Edwin in his lap. Startled emerald eyes met his and Cathaniel blinked slowly. Edwin’s eyes travelled down the Cat King’s bare chest, and he swallowed before suddenly jerking away. The ghost almost fell in his attempt to get out of Cathaniel’s lap.
The moment he pulled away he turned back into a cat.
“What the bloody hell was that?”
The Cat King looked from Edwin the cat to Charles.
“I have no idea,” he admitted. “What caused this in the first place?”
Edwin’s tail flicked in agitation before he leapt back onto Cathaniel’s lap. He shifted and took the Cat King’s hand before slipping to the floor. Cathaniel’s breath caught as the ghost settled on the ground between his legs back ramrod stiff, facing Charles.
The Cat King licked his lips and bent down.
“If you think this is less sexy than sitting in my lap, you are sadly mistaken.”
The ghost shivered as his breath tickled his ear.
“Oy! What did you say to him?”
Cathaniel looked up at Charles and smiled.
“Nothing.”
He glanced back down. Edwin was holding his wrist gently, fingers encircling the flesh like a bracelet. The Cat King gave into the urge and lowered his free hand and ran it through Edwin’s hair. Soft, like he had imagined. Hopefully, he wasn’t imagining the way Edwin leaned into the touch just slightly.
“So, what brought you here?”
“Charles panicked.”
His hand stilled in its petting for a treacherous second. Of course, Edwin wouldn’t have come on his own. No, he had to be pushed into it by Charles Rowland of all people.
“I would have come anyway,” Edwin said as if he could hear Cathaniel’s thoughts. “But I would have liked to look around first. Instead, Charles panicked.”
“I didn’t panic,” the other ghost protested, and Edwin arched an eyebrow at him. “You scratched Crystal.”
“She pulled my tail,” Edwin sniffed.
“You scratched me!”
At that Edwin did look mildly embarrassed.
“You were rather large and far louder then you needed to be,” he defended himself. “And I was caught off guard by how fast you moved.”
“Most cats dislike fast movement and loud noises,” the Cat King reassured Edwin, fingers gently stroking through the ghost’s hair again. “That’s completely normal.”
“Yeah, well, turning into a cat isn’t,” Charles pointed out.
“Unless you are a Cat King,” Cathaniel laughed. “Which is why I presume you are here. Tell me the full story please.”
“Well, since the whole Port Townsend fiasco, the ghost mailman has been bringing us international post. We took a job in Russia where people appeared to be disappearing. Once, we arrived, we realized there was a witch residing in the town.”
“Let me guess, she was actually turning the people into animals?”
“You are correct,” Edwin confirmed. “We believe she planned on using them as potion ingredients.”
“Ugh,” The Cat King shuddered. “Witches.”
“For once, I am completely in agreement with you,” Charles nodded.
“So how exactly did you end up a cat? Where’s the witch?”
“She vanished,” Edwin huffed. “After casting her blasted spell on me. It was almost as if she had a portkey or something.”
Cathaniel ran those words through his head and grinned.
“You’ve read Harry Potter?”
“The author may be a terrible human being,” Edwin sniffed. “But the books are enjoyable.”
Cathaniel felt his chest warm up, the way it did anytime he learned something new about Edwin and looked away, only to find Charles watching him.
“You didn’t have anything to do with this right?”
“Charles, please,” Edwin scoffed.
“I’m just asking, cause it’s kinda suspicious that you get cursed into cat form and you’re only human when he’s touching you.”
“I am confident that the Cat King had nothing to do with this.”
It was a very good thing that Edwin couldn’t see his face right now because Cathaniel was sure it must be doing something stupid. Bad enough Charles saw it. Whatever the ghost saw had him grinning and holding up his hands.
“Alright Edwin, I believe you.”
“This is a terrible nuisance though. How on earth am I supposed to solve cases as a cat?”
The Cat King grinned and lifted Edwin’s hand up to kiss the knuckles.
“I would be more then happy to continue holding your hand,” he offered.
He felt Edwin tense and withheld a sigh. Still so adorably repressed it seemed.
“Charles,” Edwin’s voice snapped out as the other ghost went to say something. “I need you to return to the witch’s house. See if you can find anything useful. Something that might tell us where she went or how to undue the spell.”
Charles hesitated, looking between Edwin and the Cat King.
“You sure mate?”
“Positive. Go.”
Charles sighed in defeat.
“Alright. I’m going.”
Edwin stood the moment he was out of sight and turned to face the Cat King. He kept hold of Cathaniel’s hand, so he stayed human. Like this, standing between the Cat King’s legs, he was the perfect height for Cathaniel to place his hands on those hips. He restrained himself and looked up. Edwin was looking down at him and The Cat King blinked slowly with lazily lidded eyes.
“I do not understand you,” the ghost confessed. “You say such things so easily.”
Cathaniel smiled up at him. Knowing he most likely looked like a fool in love and not caring.
“This,” he entwined their fingers together and lifted them up. “is not wrong Edwin and despite what people have tried to convince you, never has been.”
The Cat King lifted their hands up so he could press a kiss to those long fingers and watched as Edwin’s eyes fell to his lips, watched as he swallowed.
Edwin desired him, of that Cathaniel was positive. He could get drunk off the way Edwin looked at him. All that want in those emerald eyes made his throat dry. Sadly, just desire wasn’t enough. Edwin needed something else, and the Cat King did not know what it was or how to give it to him.
“I-”
Edwin stopped uncertainly and the Cat King waited patiently. Eyes half lidded as he looked up. The sun was coming through the windows and lit Edwin beautifully from behind. Cathaniel’s own desire was choking him.
“Can I kiss you?” Edwin blurted out.
“Yes.”
There was zero hesitation in his answer but there was in Edwin leaning down. The detective wavered and Cathaniel merely tilted his head up, knowing the final move had to be the ghost’s. Edwin slowly pressed their lips together.
The Cat King purred happily and finally allowed himself to place his hands on those gorgeous hips. Feeling the cloth beneath his fingers. Edwin pulled back with a slight gasp before pressing back in and Cathaniel turned his head slightly, allowing for a better angle to slant their lips together. They kissed until he couldn’t breathe anymore, and the Cat King cursed his own mortality that required air as they parted. Edwin stayed close, feeling Cathaniel’s breath against his lips. It was his turn for the detective to run his fingers through the cat’s hair. The Cat King purred and pressed into the petting pleased.
There was a conversation they needed to have. An important one. That was a future Cathaniel problem though. Instead, he leaned back in for another kiss, breathing be damned.
“Oy mate, you won’t believe what I found at the witch’s house. Bloody Hell!”