Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Thomas King was a man of comfort and luxury. He enjoyed fine fabrics, high quality food, expensive wine and large open spaces that he could happily fill with fancy clutter. However, he was also a man on a tight budget, who fostered cats and was in desperate need of a flat that allowed pets.

He loved his current studio, it had served his needs pretty well for the last year and a half, but he couldn't afford it anymore if he wanted to continue fostering. His piece of shit landlord was putting the rent up and so he needed to find a new place before his lease was up in a week. There were very few places, as it turned out, that were willing accept a single man in his late twenties who bar-tended at a gay nightclub and had seven cats.

He dreaded having to tear down everything that he had built up in that studio, but he supposed that this was all par for the course. He'd miss the big windows and having the ability to put his stuff wherever he wanted, letting his cats have free reign over the place. He'd miss not having to worry about other people when he came home at ungodly hours of the morning after a long shift and wanted to cook food or have a long, hot shower.

Shit, he really hoped that wherever he ended up would have good water pressure. He wasn't sure he would be able to survive without it.

He had been looking all month with no luck, when he finally stumbled across an ad for a room in a small block of flats owned by a private landlord. The ad claimed that it would be a shared flat with one roommate, but it was queer-friendly and within his budget, so...

Obviously, Thomas preferred having his own space, where he didn't have to worry about anyone complaining about his cats or the hook-ups he occasionally brought home, but if it meant not being homeless in a week, then it was worth checking out.

So, he phoned up, booked a viewing and the very next day, he was signing his new lease and collecting his keys from hot goth lesbian landlord Jenny Green. The flat was decently sized, his room had lots of natural light for the area and whoever else lived there was meticulously tidy (he also hadn't missed the cat bed tucked away next to the sofa). It was a steal.

“The last tenant moved out a few days ago, so you can move in whenever.” she said as she took the contract back and went to file it before grabbing the keys.

“What made him leave?” Thomas asked. He really hoped that he wasn't about to get saddled with the roommate from hell.

“An eviction.” Jenny replied blandly. “The asshole was harassing the other tenant and messed up his last chance. You better not start any shit with him, by the way. That kid's been through enough.” she warned.

“Shit. Sounds messy.” Thomas. “What's the guy like?” he needed the place to stay more than he cared about a personality clash, but it wouldn't hurt to get an idea of what to expect.

“Private, a little stuffy, very British. Doesn't really get out much, from what I can tell, but the other folks on his floor seem to like him well enough.” she shrugged as she passed him the keys. “Square one is for the flat, round one is for your bedroom door, fob is for the front door and for the basement where the bins and recycling are.”

“Sounds like a fun guy.” Thomas said as he took the keys. “I hope he likes cats.”

-----

His stuffy British roommate was nowhere to be seen when he arrived and Thomas didn't know whether to be relieved by that or not. One the one hand, he was glad to be able to get himself moved in without having the added stress of first introductions, but on the other hand, he was oh so curious.

Clearly, from the cat bed, the guy liked cats. Hopefully he'd be okay with seven more of them at any given time. Sure, most of them weren't permanent and would eventually move on to different forever homes, but three of them were his permanent fur babies.

His own three were Meatball, a little grey cat, Honda Civic, a domestic longhair, and Apple Sauce, a Scottish Fold kitten with a lovely disposition. He had been a foster at first, but Thomas knew the first time he'd curled up in his arms and started purring that he would never be able to part with the little guy.

He brought the cats upstairs first in their carriers, and put them in his room before bringing the rest of his things upstairs. Thankfully, the flat already had all of the necessary appliances and white goods fitted, and his room already had a bed frame; this meant that the hardest thing to bring up had been the dresser and the mattress. The rest was just storage boxes and suitcases.

It took him a good three hours to get everything inside on his own (really thankful that he had his own car and hadn't needed to hire a moving van, though rolling up the mattress had been a pain and he hadn't been able to see through the back window with the dresser in the boot), and after that, he decided it was time to take a break.

He left the cats in their carriers to allow them to get used to the flat, with all of its new sights and smells (that, and he didn't want to let them out when there was an unfamiliar cat hanging about somewhere).

Thomas closed his bedroom door over and went to scope out the kitchen. It was meticulously clean, just like the est of the flat's communal spaces. All of the appliances, counters and cupboards were default white, apart from the kettle and toaster, which were a matching dark green.

He snooped around a bit and found some plates, bowls, cutlery (Fox Ivy or Habitat mostly, someone could afford the fancy supermarket stuff), some pots and pans. Weirdly though, there didn't seem to be any food anywhere. The fridge and freezer were completely empty and the only thing anywhere else was the box of Earl Grey tea and pot of Galaxy hot chocolate next to the kettle.

Odd.

Thomas shrugged it off though, and filled up one of the glasses he had brought with him with water. He sat down on one of the barstools at the small kitchen island – mildly delighted to find that it was one of the ones that could spin around – and let himself soak in the new environment.

It was always a strange process for him, to fit into a new place. Maybe it was stranger for someone as seemingly nebulous as him to dislike change. He had been bounced from place to place his whole life; his parents were never stable, kicked him out at sixteen and got taken to court for child abandonment. He spent the next two years in a half-way house, saving up money from his part time job, so that he could get his own place after he finished college and aged out of the system.

At eighteen, he got into university and finished getting the qualifications to become a veterinary technician. The stars hadn't quite aligned for him though, so he had been bartending since his second year of uni and had eventually gotten to a place where he could foster cats for a couple of local shelters.

It wasn't where he had pictured himself, but given all he'd been through, he could have ended up somewhere so much worse. If anything, he considered himself lucky that he had been able to stay in London despite it all, especially considering the exorbitant cost of living.

He hoped that this place would last.

“Oh.” Thomas heard the quiet, unfamiliar voice from behind him and turned around, only to see the most gorgeous man that he'd ever laid eyes on.

Tall, dark hair, emerald eyes, excellent posture.

“Hey, you must be the roommate. I'm Thomas King.” Thomas got up to shake the man's hand.

“Hello.” he replied, almost breathlessly and with the most earth-shatteringly sexy British accent Thomas had ever heard. “I am Edwin Payne. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The man, Edwin, shook his hand (holy shit his hands were cold) and then let go to fold both of his own neatly behind his back. “I wasn't aware that someone else was to be moving in already.”

“Shit, no one told you? From what Jenny said, at least I can promise to be better than the last house-mate you had.” Thomas tried not to feel too bad. It wasn't his fault the landlord hadn't bothered to tell this guy about a whole new tenant moving in.

“That,” Edwin swallowed. “Is a very low bar.”

“Well, at least the pressure's off.” Thomas shrugged. “Do you like cats? I noticed the cat bed by the couch. Is the little guy or gal hiding somewhere?” he redirected the conversation. Thomas did not want to dwell on the guy's shitty ex-harasser.

“I-” Edwin's voice caught in his throat, expression tight. “I do… enjoy cats. However, Majesty is no longer around.”

“Shit. I'm sorry...” Thomas kicked himself. Fuck. First he brought up the stupid ex-roommate and now he put his foot in it by bringing up his dead cat. Was this guy cursed or something? Was he cursed?

“Do you like cats?” Edwin asked, blessedly choosing to spare Thomas the awkwardness of an uncomfortable conversation.

“I love them! I have three who are always with me and foster more for a couple of local shelters. So, you'll probably be seeing a lot of them.” Thomas lit up. This was something he could talk about.

“That sounds nice.” Edwin smiled and damn, what a handsome smile it was. “As long as things are kept clean and orderly, I am sure that we will get along swimmingly.”

“That's good to hear.” Thomas gave him a lopsided smile and did not miss the way that Edwin's eyes lingered on his mouth. “They're getting used to the room at the moment, but they'll be roaming tomorrow. I hope that's not a problem?”

“Not at all. I will be mindful of my whereabouts so as not to scare them.” Edwin agreed easily.

Oh, forget a roommate from hell, Edwin was a roommate straight from heaven.

-----

Later that evening, Thomas had expected to see Edwin come out to make dinner, or for some sort of takeaway to be delivered to the flat for him, but it never came. Maybe he had a mini fridge and a stash of snacks in his bedroom? His last roommate had been harassing him, so Thomas supposed that it was possible.

He knew for a fact that if he had been put in that kind of position, he'd be pretty private about his food, too.

He didn't have all that long before he would have to leave for his night shift at the club, The Imperial, and knew that he'd have to give himself an additional ten minutes to get there by tube, given the extra distance compared to his old studio. It unfortunately meant that he didn't have a whole lot of time to get dinner sorted.

Despite that, Thomas found himself unable to ignore the thought of his new roommate going hungry because he was there, potentially making him feel uncomfortable in his own kitchen. He sighed to himself, made double the amount of spaghetti and put the second serving into a tupperware and left it in the fridge.

Once he had eaten and washed up, he hesitantly approached Edwin's bedroom door. A cold feeling jolted down his spine and he really hoped that it was nothing. His head was blaring with warning bells, but he ignored the feeling and knocked once.

“Um, hey Edwin, I don't wanna overstep, but I made some extra spaghetti. It's in the fridge if you want some… if not, I guess I'll have it for lunch tomorrow.” Thomas waited, but there was no response. “Anyway… I'm headed to work now and probably won't be back until like four AM. I'll try and be quiet.” Still no answer.

It was weird, when he thought about it, that he had been completely unaware of Edwin's presence in the flat until the moment that he had come up behind him. Thomas had been there for hours and had never seen or heard him come or go. Had he really just been silently sitting in his room the entire time? Even if he was working from home, it was a bit odd that he hadn't left his room even for a glass of water or a cup of tea.

Nope, nope. It was none of his business.

Thomas took a deep breath and walked away to finish getting ready. Then, with his keys in hand, he left the flat for the night. He couldn't deny the curiosity that he felt towards Edwin. Even if Thomas were to keep all of his questions to himself and brush off all the details that felt off, the dude was way too mysterious to ignore.

Fascinating.

Chapter Text

When Edwin woke up, he was alone.

It wasn't something that would usually be considered particularly odd, considering that he never shared his bed with anyone, never had a boyfriend, and had never hooked up with anyone (it wasn't really his style).

However, not hearing Majesty clawing at the carpet to sharpen his claws, or feeling his warmth curled up next to him on the pillow, was extremely out of place.

Something was screaming at Edwin in the back of his mind, but he felt distant, floaty, out of himself somehow.

He looked around and, to his horror, there was blood staining the floor. It was everywhere. Drenching the carpet, splattered on the inside of the door frame and over the leg of his desk chair.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him.

Simon.

Edwin had been torn up about Charles (very gently) rejecting his confession and had gone home to wallow. Simon had been waiting.

Edwin had known for months that Simon had some sort of crush on him, though it had felt far more like obsession than something as innocent as a crush. It was unfortunately, fairly difficult to avoid someone who lived in the same flat as you, as it would happen.

Most of the time, Edwin had believed Simon to be relatively harmless, able to brush off the times when Simon would try and force himself into Edwin's plans, or violate his personal space when they happened to be eating at the same time or both occupying the living room. There had been one dreadful occasion when Edwin had awoken to Majesty's hissing only to find Simon standing in the doorway of his bedroom just… watching him.

Edwin had filed a complaint after that and had become far more diligent in always locking his door. Majesty had become very protective as well, the large, fluffy ginger cat sticking to Edwin like a shadow, always hissing at Simon and clawing at him if he got too close.

Simon hated Majesty.

When Edwin had gotten back after Charles' rejection, he had sat himself down on the sofa with a heavy sigh and Majesty had jumped up from his cat bed to rub against Edwin's legs. Edwin petted his little head and smiled at the soft, rumbling purr that always seemed to magically lift his mood.

“How is it that you always seem to know when I require some love? Hm?” Edwin asked gently, obviously not expecting a response. Nonetheless, Majesty mewed up at him and Edwin smiled, sadly. “Things never do seem to go my way, do they?” he asked, and Majesty mewed again, jumping up on the sofa next to him to bump his head against Edwin's arm.

That was when Simon had interrupted them, had sat down uncomfortably close to Edwin and ignored the way that Majesty glared and growled from Edwin's other side.

Edwin had edged away as much as he could, hating the feeling of their legs brushing together. He had explained in vague detail about what had happened, at Simon's insistence and when he hadn't been able to hold back a few tears thinking about it, Simon had tried to kiss him.

Edwin, of course, had leaned so far back to avoid it that he had almost fallen off of the sofa. He stood as fast as he could and backed away.

“Simon, I apologise, but I am not interested in you in that way.” Edwin was nervous. There was something desperate in Simon's eyes that made him afraid.

“Come on, Ed. I'm so much better than him. I can provide for you. No one will ever love you like I do.” Simon said, getting to his feat.

Edwin took a step back for very step that Simon took towards him.

“I can provide for myself perfectly well, thank you very much.” Edwin snipped. He didn't like this one bit. “Even if Charles had never been in the picture, it would not change my lack of interest in you.”

“Don't be like that. You know you want this.” Simon backed Edwin towards the wall as he spoke.

Edwin was shaking then, and Majesty was at his other side, growling and hissing at Simon. He side stepped the wall and managed to get out into the hallway, but Simon managed to block his route to the front door, meaning that the only way that Edwin could go was towards his room.

“No. Simon, you need to back away and leave me alone. Jenny has already warned you-” Edwin cut himself off with a shocked gasp as Simon lunged at him.

He darted down the hall to his room, Majesty managing to run in before him and attempted to slam the door, so that he could lock it. Maybe he could climb out of his window with Majesty and get down the fire escape…

Simon, however, managed to force his way through the door before Edwin had the chance to get it closed.

He had nowhere to run.

He remembered Majesty jumping up at Simon, biting and clawing. There was yelling, blood, and then… everything grew fuzzy and unclear.

It didn't take Edwin long to realise that he was dead, and that both Simon and Majesty were gone. It also didn't take him long to find out that he couldn't leave. He was stuck.

The first thing he did was make sure that he could still get online via his computer, so that he could continue doing his job. Then, he used what ingredients he could to do meal prep (and even a little bit of baking) and messaged Niko to please take everything up to Monty. The younger man had moved in a couple of months ago after escaping his abusive mother and had barely anything to his name. Then, he threw everything else out and deep cleaned.

Monty was a sweet person, and Edwin hoped that is friends would be able to step up in his stead and help him to get settled and not allow him to be left on his own. He had been kind to Edwin, and he wanted to return the favour… even in death.

He was just sad that he would have no choice but to avoid the people that he cared about most from now on. If he wanted to have people think that he was still alive and be able to keep his flat, then he would have to play this extremely carefully.

He wasn't going to let Simon get away with what he had done.

It was quiet for a long time. Sometimes, his friends would come by to knock on the door and check on him, but he would never answer. He replied to texts sometimes, or emails, but he never opened his door. The one time that he had tried to open it for Niko, she had walked straight through him, unable to see him at all. He hadn't tried again.

Then, he had filed a final complaint and it had been the nail in the coffin for a final eviction notice to be delivered for Simon. He hadn't been back, but Edwin assumed that at some point, he would want to get his things. It would be interesting to see his confusion when he realised that nobody knew about Edwin's death. Maybe he would think that he had gotten away with it.

When Simon returned, Edwin couldn't find the emotional control that he had been sure that he could maintain. He couldn't bare it, watching that son of a bitch waltzing around like he hadn't done anything wrong.

“What did you do with Majesty? Where is he?” Edwin yelled, his words falling on deaf ears. “I know you hated him! Did you kill him like you killed me?”

As Simon gathered the last of his things, Edwin had had enough. He decided that if he couldn't get answers, he would scare him. He slammed doors, pushed things off of shelves, tipped luggage over, and as Simon was hurrying out of the door, Edwin had shoved him hard, in the back and slammed the door as hard as he could.

He watched through the peep hole as Simon slumped against the opposite wall, chest heaving, eyes watering and stricken with fear. It was what he deserved, but it wasn't enough.

Edwin continued to pay his rent on time, continued to do his remote work, and continued to ignore his friends as they tried to visit him. He had assumed that his life, or afterlife, would be much the same until he figured out how to get justice for himself. Empty, lonely, isolated.

Then, Thomas moved in.

Edwin didn't know how he hadn't thought of an ad going up for the newly vacant room in the flat. He gave the man a wide berth and just listened as he moved his things inside, brought up a couple of items of furniture, suitcases and… seven cat carriers.

What was most bizarre, was when he had approached Thomas and Thomas had seen him. How could he see him? How could he hear him?

He did his best to act normally, accepting the handshake when it was offered to him. Up close, the man was undeniably stunning. He was a bit shorter than Edwin himself, toned, with wavy dark hair, warm amber eyes, and a curious scar at the corner of his perfect mouth.

Edwin might be in trouble.

He might also be very eager to meet those cats.

His mind was left reeling after their meeting. He had spoken to him for a while and then returned to the safety of his room to process. Thomas being able to see him, speak with him, physically interact with him… it changed things; it changed everything.

Edwin couldn't feel anything like he used to. It was as if everything was numbed or like there was a thick wall of cotton wool between him and everything else, but somehow, beyond any logical reason that he could currently think of, he could feel Thomas. When they had shaken hands, he had felt skin against skin instead of a physical barrier, had felt the warmth of Thomas' living body.

Edwin paced back and forth across his room for a while before settling in his desk chair. He tried to focus on what the chair would have felt like if he were still alive, the polished wood, the velvet cushioning on the seat. It had been one of the first things that he had purchased for himself when he had moved out on his own. It had felt like such a milestone back then, a piece of furniture for his own place, like a symbol of his independence, proof that he could manage on his own and didn't need his parents' money.

He wondered if they would notice his absence, if they would care if his death was uncovered.

Useless thoughts, really.

Before he realised it, hours had passed by, his attention only drawn by the sound of a quiet knock and the sound of Thomas' voice through his door.

“Um, hey Edwin, I don't wanna overstep, but I made some extra spaghetti. It's in the fridge if you want some… if not, I guess I'll have it for lunch tomorrow.” There was a pause where Thomas was obviously waiting to see if Edwin would respond, but he didn't know what to say. He was touched at the thoughtfulness of Thomas leaving an extra serving of dinner for him, someone who he had only met briefly and hadn't been particularly talkative.

“Anyway…” Thomas continued after too much time had passed. “I'm headed to work now and probably won't be back until like four AM. I'll try and be quiet.” Edwin didn't know what to say again, so he said nothing. It was barely anything in the grand scheme, but Thomas' consideration was such a stark contrast to Simon's behaviour that Edwin found himself a little overwhelmed.

Once Edwin heard the front door close and lock, and he was sure that Thomas would not be suddenly re-entering the flat, Edwin left his room and made his way into the kitchen. Without Thomas there, Edwin realised that it felt incredibly empty. He had started to get used to the loneliness, but with Thomas and his cats in the flat, and able to interact with Edwin, perhaps he wouldn't have to get used to it anymore.

He opened the fridge and looked at the little tupperware of spaghetti sitting on the middle shelf. There was milk and cheese, butter, vegetables, and a few other bits and pieces back in the fridge and Edwin was weirdly comforted by it. Even more so when he realised that Thomas has already washed his dishes and had left them in the drying rack. It wasn't a lot, just… proof that someone else was living there now.

As he looked back at the spaghetti. Edwin was struck with the thought of Charles. Edwin used to cook it once a week to share with his best friend (and eventually with Crystal, Niko and Monty as they became closer friends), sometimes trying out different sauces and recipes. He missed them all so much. He wished that he could see them again, that he could be in the same room as them again, sharing a meal together, or a conversation.

The rhythmic beeping of the fridge from standing with the door open too long brought him abruptly out of his reverie.

The flat was drenched in silence.

Chapter Text

When Thomas returned back to the flat, it was in the very early hours of the morning. The whole place was drenched in darkness. He felt around on the wall for the light switch and flipped it on. His job was fun enough, and usually he could bounce back pretty easily from a long shift, but for some reason, the night had left him shattered.

He was sweaty, glittery, and kind of sticky from being behind the bar, and he was more than ready to peel out of his “uniform”, take a nice hot shower and then pull on some silk pyjamas.

First, he checked the fridge and was surprised at the tiny twinge of disappointment he felt when he saw that his flatmate hadn't touched the extra portion of spaghetti that he had left. Oh well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about what to do for lunch.

Thomas quietly made his way down the hall and turned the light back off at the other end as he reached his room. He made sure that the door was closed properly and greeted each of his cats as they approached him, meowing their hellos and rubbing up against his shins.

“Hello~” he cooed, giving all seven of them their individual soft scratches between their ears as he moved to his drawers and pulled out some pyjamas and clean underwear. “I know, I know, you want all of my attention, but daddy is sticky and needs a shower before cuddles.”

Magic, a big, fluffy brown tabby that was one of his fosters meowed loud and long in protest and jumped up onto his bed to sit on his pillow. Phantom, a short-haired white cat with one black sock on her front left leg and one black ear, ran under the bed and started clawing the carpet, but switched to rolling around when she was joined by Smoky (a dark grey elder cat with yellow eyes), who flopped down right next to her.

Thomas artfully avoided letting Meatball, Honda, Apple Sauce, or Fancy (a delightfully wide tuxedo cat) follow him into the en suite.

That had been another highlight to this flat: each bedroom had its own private bathroom attached for the sake of privacy. He had never been in a shared flat like that before and it really felt like a luxury after years of shared bathrooms and praying that the other people he lived with understood the concept of spray bleach.

He reached to the side to pull the light on and looked around the room. It was all white tiles, white toilet, white sink, white bath and shower unit, white cabinets. Very 'renter-friendly'. Thomas had already added his own royal purple bath mat and towels. He'd have to get a shower curtain with some eccentric pattern on it too. It was in desperate need of some personality.

He put his change of clothes to the side and stripped down, feeling relieved to get out of the clinging fabric. He chucked it into the laundry hamper in the corner and got the shower running.

As soon as the hot water hit his back, he let out a deep sigh of relief, revelling in the feeling of his muscles relaxing. He stood there for a long moment before quickly going through his usual routine of fancy shampoo and conditioner, and some expensive body-wash that he'd gotten as a gift at some point.

By the time he was done, both the room and himself smelled of honey and almond butter, with a slight undertone of lemon. Once he had moisturised (something that had become a vital part of his routine ever since trying it and deciding that it was worth the extra cost for being buttery soft and silky all the time), all of those rich, creamy scents mixing had him giving off a distinct aura of crème brûlée and limoncello.

Delicious~

He got into his pyjamas (black silk trousers and a matching robe) and opened the vent on the wall before going back out into his room and shutting off the bathroom light. All of a sudden, two of the cats started yowling and scratching and he could hear Edwin's door swing open down the hall.

Shit. It was barely day two and he had already pissed off his flatmate.

“Magic! Apple Sauce! Stop that right now. What are you doing?” he whisper-shouted as he waked up to them.

Magic ignored him, while Apple Sauce turned around and stared up at him with big, wet eyes, before meowing again pitifully.

Then, Thomas heard Edwin's voice from out in the hall. It was muffled, but still clear enough through the door.

“Majesty? Majesty?” Edwin called, sounding both hopeful and distraught all at once.

The sound of it sent a chill down Thomas' spine and made his heart swoop unpleasantly. That was a tone that he was sure he never wanted to hear from the other man again.

Without thinking, he pushed his bedroom door open and stumbled out into the hall.

He could barely see Edwin in the dark, and he startled as Edwin's form seemed to flicker and dark streaks covered his face.

Thomas lunged for the hallway light, and as soon as it came on, Edwin looked completely normal, if not emotionally distressed. He took a deep breath. Trick of the light.

“Edwin? Are you okay?” he asked, tentatively.

“Who- … Thomas?” Edwin sounded confused, but his expression softened slightly as he seemed to focus on Thomas. “I apologise if I worried you, I just… I thought I heard Majesty...”

“Majesty?” Thomas' heart sank and he took a step towards Edwin. He must have heard the cats mowing and been reminded of his dead pet.

“My… my cat… I-” Edwin's voice broke. “My Majesty...”

Thomas took another step closer, but stopped when several furry, four-legged little fiends rushed past his legs. There were now seven cats in the hallway. Shit.

Apple Sauce had run straight up to Edwin and rubbed his little face against his legs, mewing softly. Edwin looked like he was going to cry and Thomas didn't know how to deal with crying people. What was he going to do if Edwin cried? Shit, shit, shit!

“Oh...” Edwin gasped as the cats surrounded him and started nudging him and meowing, and purring. “Hello?” the surprise seemed to bring him out of his sorrows a bit and Thomas chose to see it as a win, even if his lawless felines had escaped confinement before he had planned.

“Well, they certainly seem to like you.” Thomas smiled, walking up to Edwin properly. He really hoped that the sight of the cats wouldn't make him feel worse. “You wanna talk about it?” he asked upon reaching him.

Thomas didn't usually make a point to worry over people that he barely knew, but there was something about Edwin that was different. He was handsome, polite, and a little bit haunted (maybe a lot haunted) and liked cats. It seemed that all of those things bundled together with a bit of mystery and a pair of soulful, emerald green eyes had rendered Thomas weak in the knees and the heart.

“I… I am not sure...” Edwin replied, still looking down at the cats with a distant sort of fascination.

What was he thinking? Thomas wanted to know.

“Do you want to sit down? You seem a bit rattled...” Thomas suggested tentatively. He wasn't sure what the best approach would be with Edwin and that something had him wanting to help.

“Yes… yes, I think that would be a good idea.” Edwin agreed with a small nod, and Thomas breathed an internal sigh of relief.

Edwin finally looked at him in the eyes, then, and holy shit. He really was the most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on. Even when he was shaken by unhappy memories, there was a strange and otherworldly beauty about him. It was almost as though he were an ethereal entity and not a simple mortal man at all.

They made their way to the living room, the cats all running after them, at their heels, jumping up onto the sofa next to Edwin and rubbing up against his arms and legs. Thomas was left completely (if not happily) baffled at their insistent affection. His cats never tended to take to anyone so quickly, and definitely not with this level of enthusiasm.

“I'll be back in a sec.” Thomas said softly, leaving Edwin to pet the cats on his own for a moment.

He walked into the kitchen and fished around in one of the top cupboards for a glass before filling it up at the tap. He took a deep breath and headed back into the lounge.

Edwin was still in the same position that he had been in before, only the cats seemed to have snuggled up even closer to him and he was carefully petting Apple Sauce, who had snuggled up on his lap.

He stopped before going back inside, however, when he overheard Edwin talking.

“I'm okay… yes… thank you… I hadn't realised that you could, but I suppose it makes about as much sense as everything else has up to this point… yes, he's very kind...” Edwin spoke softly.

It wasn't necessarily odd to hear someone talking to cats; Thomas himself talked to his cats all the time, after all, about anything and everything… but there was something about the way that Edwin was talking to them, as though he were replying to things that they were saying to him, that struck Thomas as a little bit strange.

He decided to shrug it off. It would definitely be weird if he took any longer to get a glass of water. So, he entered the room and set the glass onto a coaster that was on the coffee table before taking the seat next to Edwin on the sofa.

Meatball meowed at him in protest as he was jostled by the movement and Edwin huffed a very quiet laugh.

“Got you a glass of water.” Thomas started, “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Alright, I suppose...” Edwin replied, though his heart wasn't really in it.

“Sure you don't wanna talk about it?” Thomas leaned back into the sofa and gently petted the top of Phantom's head.

Edwin didn't say anything for a prolonged moment. His brows furrowed and his lips pursed, clearly debating himself on whether to voice his thoughts. He let out a deep sigh and it was obvious that whatever he was gearing up for was difficult to say. Then, he looked at Thomas and his expression wavered.

“I don't know what happened to Majesty...” Edwin said, voice pained.

“What do you mean?” Thomas asked, sitting forward again.

“Before Simon left, he… he knocked me unconscious and when I awoke… Majesty was gone and there was blood on the floor, I--” Edwin looked down at the floor as his eyes welled up with tears.

“Edwin...” Thomas was shocked. Cat murder hadn't been on his list when he had thought about what Edwin might say.

“I think he killed my cat! I couldn't protect him even though he had always been there for me, in his own way.” Edwin was definitely crying then, though he seemed to be trying very hard not to.

“Edwin, I'm so sorry… you've gotta know that's not your fault. He assaulted you.” Thomas tried to comfort him, but he wasn't sure if he should reach out of if touching Edwin might make things worse.

“And now, I cannot even leave this bloody apartment anymore! I haven't seen my friends in weeks! I just… do not know what to do anymore.” Edwin lamented, and Thomas felt his own heart break for his new flatmate. “I apologise. None of this is your problem... I should not be burdening you with my woes.” Edwin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “You have just returned from a long shift, and should not have to deal with me.”

“Don't worry about any of that shit. I don't care. I mean I care, but I don't mind.” Thomas hoped that he was doing the right thing here. “Clearly, you went through something real shitty before I got here. And sure, I didn't exactly sign up for drama when I moved in, but It's shared housing. So far you're the most mentally and emotionally stable person I've lived with.”

The light tone that Thomas took on seemed to catch Edwin off-guard.

“That is incredibly depressing.” Edwin stated, flatly.

“Yeah, maybe.” Thomas grinned and offered a little shrug. “My point is that you're definitely an upgrade.”

That managed to get the tiniest of laughs from Edwin and the corner of his lips tugged up the barest amount. Maybe he wasn't so bad at comforting crying people? Then again, maybe it was just Edwin. He was already odd, so it made sense that Thomas' unique brand of… everything went down better than it did with other people.

“Really now? Tell me something one of your other flatmates has done that is worse than startling you and your cats in the middle of the first night you've been here and saddling you with all of this emotional baggage?” Edwin waited.

“Well...” Thomas paused for dramatic effect. “There was one guy who threw up on the hallway carpet, licked it, threw up again, ran into the bathroom, pissed next to the toilet and then screamed for two hours while I cleaned it up.”

“Surely not.” Edwin looked absolutely horrified and the older grey cat beside him hissed.

“That's right! You know what you did, Smoky.” Thomas pointed in accusation at the cat, who only glared at him, its tail swishing in irritation. “and I'll never let you live it down.”

Edwin seemed speechless for a moment before breaking out into the prettiest laughter that Thomas had ever heard. Thomas found himself completely in awe and captivated by the sound, along with the way that Edwin's eyes creased slightly in the corners, his shoulders shook with mirth, and his whole demeanour lightened.

“Alright, Thomas, I concede. I have most certainly never done anything quite so uncouth.” Edwin's laughter quieted down into chuckles as he wiped a tear from his eye and smiled at Thomas.

“See? I told you, best flatmate I've had so far.” Thomas smiled back.

“I have to say; you are also somewhat of an upgrade.” Edwin smirked. “Though admittedly it does not take much to raise the bar from knocking me out and running away.”

“Well, I promise not to knock you out and run if you promise not to throw up on the carpet and scream at me.” Thomas held out his hand.

“You have yourself a deal, Mr King.” Edwin shook his hand and it was only a brief moment before the pair of them were giggling at the absurdity of it all.

He was utterly fucked, wasn't he?

Chapter Text

Meow.

Edwin sat upright on his bed. He recognised that sound.

Meow. Meow.

He got to his feet and stumbled towards the door. Where was that noise coming from? Was Majesty back? Was he alive? He wrenched his bedroom door open and hurried out into the hallway, desperately looking around himself for any sign of his beloved cat.

Meow. Meow.

The meows became more insistent and suddenly they were accompanied by scratching, like the cat was stuck behind a closed door, trying to get in. Edwin felt himself becoming more frantic. He tried to peer through the darkness, but he couldn't see clearly and the shadows looked like they were swimming around him.

He needed to get to Majesty, he needed to find him, to help him. He needed to save him from Simon. Majesty was out there somewhere trying to get to him and Edwin couldn't do anything. He needed to do something, but he couldn't leave the flat. He needed to find Majesty!

“Majesty? Majesty?” Edwin turned around in the hall. He felt so disoriented, unable to tell which direction the meowing and scratching was coming from.

The longer that went by, the more distressed he became. He needed his cat. He didn't know how to do this without Majesty by his side. He had been doing everything on auto pilot since he had been killed and if he stopped for a second, the weight of it would crush him.

Suddenly, the lights came on.

“Edwin? Are you okay?” A voice that Edwin didn't immediately recognise sounded from down the hall and he froze.

“Who- … Thomas?” Edwin calmed down when he realised that it was his new flatmate speaking to him and not some home intruder or spectral apparition (though he supposed that he was the only spectral apparition in this household). He immediately felt bad for causing him to come out and check on him. He hoped that he hadn't woken him. “I apologise if I worried you, I just… I thought I heard Majesty...”

“Majesty?” Thomas' voice was gentle and curious, and it served to help Edwin come a bit more into himself. It helped him to focus. If his heart could still beat, it would have been racing and he felt like he was coming down from a panic attack.

“My… my cat… I-” Edwin's voice broke and he fought the urge to wince. “My Majesty...”

Thomas moved to approach Edwin a bit more, body language hesitant, but stopped in his tracks as several fluffy cats rushed past and crowded around Edwin. He was awed at the sudden development, and he realised just how much he had missed having a cat in his home.

A small grey Scottish Fold ran up to him and rubbed his little face against his legs, mewing softly. Edwin felt like he was going to cry. He missed his Majesty so much and having these sweet cats around him was overwhelming him with equal amounts of fondness and sadness.

“Oh...” Edwin gasped as the rest of the cats surrounded him and started nudging him and meowing, and purring. “Hello?” Despite his complicated feelings, he felt his spirits lift a little at the warm welcome. Most cats were not so eager to approach strangers, and Edwin felt special.

“Well, they certainly seem to like you.” Thomas smiled, walking up to Edwin properly. The friendly expression only added to the comfort that had already been imparted upon him by the cats. “You wanna talk about it?”

Edwin didn't usually feel comfortable opening up to new people, especially when their introduction was so fresh, but there was something different about Thomas. He was charismatic, thoughtful, sincere, and dreadfully handsome, all soft lines meeting with perfect angles. It seemed that all of those things bundled together with a bit of good humour and a pair of enchanting, amber-gold eyes had rendered Edwin weak in the knees and the heart.

“I… I am not sure...” Edwin replied, reeling at the affection being showered on him by the cats, and also at the unexpected urge to spill everything to Thomas.

He knew that it would be a bad idea, that he would likely chase away the only good thing that had come into his life in what felt like a very, very long time. He had only just found Thomas and he didn't want him to go away. Knowing that Edwin was a ghost, or just knowing that a person was murdered in the next room would likely send him running for the hills.

No one wanted to share a home with a ghost. The living and the dead were not supposed to mingle.

“Do you want to sit down? You seem a bit rattled...” Thomas suggested tentatively. He was obviously hesitant, but Edwin could tell that his heart was in the right place. He wanted to reach out and help a practical stranger and Edwin felt his dead heart flutter.

“Yes… yes, I think that would be a good idea.” Edwin agreed with a small nod, and Thomas appeared to be relieved by his answer.

Edwin finally looked at him in the eyes, then, and goodness gracious. Thomas really was the most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on. Even though he was clearly tired, he was patient and considerate. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower he had obviously just taken and there was a long expanse of honey-cream skin on display from his neck, down to the middle of his waist where his robe was tied and Edwin had to divert his eyes to avoid staring at his broad chest and the graceful angle of his collar bones.

Goodness, Edwin felt like a Victorian man, swooning over an exposed ankle.

They made their way to the living room, and Edwin tried to focus on the cats all running after them, at their heels instead of the distracting way that Thomas looked. The cats jumped up onto the sofa next to Edwin as he sat down, rubbing up against his arms and legs affectionately. Edwin didn't resist the urge to run his fingers through their soft fur, trying to keep the attention as equal as he could.

“I'll be back in a sec.” Thomas said softly, leaving Edwin to pet the cats on his own for a moment.

When Thomas left the room, the cats snuggled up even closer to him, the little grey Scottish Fold taking up the primary space on his lap, peering up at him with the most adorable little face.

“Are you okay, Mr Edwin?” the little grey cat asked, and Edwin was shocked to hear it's voice speak human words.

“I'm okay...” he replied, trying not to freak out over this new development.

“Are you sure, kid? You don't look okay.” the fluffy grey one said in a gruff voice.

“Yes...” Edwin answered, and it came out sounding like more of a question than a statement.

“We just wanna make sure you're alright. You were about to go full blood-soaked-murder-victim ghost mode in front of Tommy.” a large tuxedo cat said from beside the fluffy grey one.

“It would not have been pretty.” a grey cat with an oddly thick American accent said, looking up at him from his spot snuggled right up against Edwin's thigh.

“You're lucky we were there to snap out out of it.” a long-haired cat added, also oddly American.

Perhaps Thomas had brought them with him from overseas?

“Thank you...” Edwin said, not sure what to make of this whole situation, though he was thankful that he hadn't been discovered so early on. He was a little horrified to discover that he had changed appearance to resemble his own bloody corpse. He really hoped that that would never happen in front of Thomas.

“You seem pretty shocked that we're talking. Has a cat never spoken to you before?” a white cat with a black ear asked him before bumping her head against his arm.

“I hadn't realised that you could, but I suppose it makes about as much sense as everything else has up to this point” He said, resigned to the weirdness of everything that was happening. “I have not been able to leave since my passing, I'm afraid.” he whispered.

“Don't worry, Mr Edwin,” the cat on his lap chirped in his sweet little voice. “Mr Thomas is really kind and he'll take good care of you, just like he does for us.”

“Yes... he's very kind...” Edwin spoke softly, endlessly endeared by this little tabby.

Edwin didn't generally like to form solid opinions of a person so quickly, but given how much these cats seemed to love and respect Thomas, Edwin was sure that he must truly be one of the good ones. Cats were usually excellent judges of character and Edwin trusted their opinions.

His train of thought was broken when Thomas re-entered the room holding a glass of water. He set it down on a coaster and turned to Edwin. Meatball meowed at him in protest as he was jostled by the movement and Edwin huffed a very quiet laugh.

“Got you a glass of water.” Thomas started, “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Alright, I suppose...” Edwin replied, though his heart wasn't really in it. There was a lot going through his mind at that moment and he wasn't sure how to even begin parsing through it.

“Sure you don't wanna talk about it?” Thomas leaned back into the sofa and gently petted the top of the white cat's head.

Edwin considered this for a moment, unsure of how much of it was alright for him to give away. So much had happened to him, so much was still happening to him. He wanted his cat back. Edwin let out a deep sigh, giving in to the question but finding it n easier to talk about. He looked at Thomas, looked at the sincerity in his expression and his heart stuttered.

He would be as honest as he could.

“I don't know what happened to Majesty...” he said, unable to hide the pain in his voice.

“What do you mean?” Thomas asked, sitting forward again. Edwin could tell that his curiosity was out of care as much as it was out of a desire for a fuller picture, so Edwin obliged.

“Before Simon left, he… he knocked me unconscious and when I awoke… Majesty was gone and the was blood on the floor, I--” Edwin looked down and his eyes burned with un-shed tears. It wasn't the whole truth, but recalling the events still hurt him immensely.

“Edwin...” He wasn't looking at Thomas, but it was obvious that he was shocked. Anyone would be shocked at such a revelation.

“I think he killed my cat!” Edwin couldn't stop the words as they bubbled forth. “I couldn't protect him even though he had always been there for me, in his own way.” he couldn't hold the tears back any longer, though he tried his best to keep them at bay. It was no use.

“Edwin, I'm so sorry… you've gotta know that's not your fault. He assaulted you.” It was very sweet of Thomas to try to comfort him, and his voice was more soothing than Edwin would like to admit.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thomas start to reach out for him, but then abort the action mid-way. Edwin didn't know whether he was glad for it or not. A part of him longed for that human contact; a hand on his shoulder, or arm, or on his back might do him wonders… but he was emotional, and he didn't know if he would be able to deal with it if Thomas phased through him.

“And now, I cannot even leave this bloody apartment anymore! I haven't seen my friends in weeks! I just… do not know what to do anymore.” Edwin lamented, it didn't matter to him in the moment if Thomas would assume that it was out of fear. It probably would have been, had Edwin not been killed that night. He took a shuddering breath in an attempt to ground himself. “I apologise. None of this is your problem... I should not be burdening you with my woes.” Edwin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and straightened up a bit. He didn't regret talking, but he did regret the potential burden that he had put onto Thomas. “You have just returned from a long shift, and should not have to deal with me.”

“Don't worry about any of that shit. I don't care. I mean I care, but I don't mind.” Thomas said, nonchalantly, waving away Edwin's concerns. “Clearly, you went through something real shitty before I got here. And sure, I didn't exactly sign up for emotional drama when I moved in, but it's shared housing. So far you're the most mentally and emotionally stable person I've lived with.”

The light tone that Thomas kept up the whole while caught Edwin off-guard. How could Edwin possibly be the most mentally and emotionally stable person he's lived with? Was Thomas completely out of his mind? What sort of ne’er-do-wells had Thomas been housed with previously?

“That is incredibly depressing.” Edwin stated, flatly. What else was he to say?

“Yeah, maybe.” Thomas grinned and offered a little shrug. “My point is that you're definitely an upgrade.”

Edwin was flattered and flummoxed. There was absolutely no conceivable way… he could not be serious. He must have just been trying to make Edwin feel better, to lift his spirits with a bit of humour. He would gladly admit that it was working.

“Really now? Tell me something one of your other flatmates has done that is worse than startling you and your cats in the middle of the first night you've been here and saddling you with emotional baggage?” Edwin waited. He would be needing a convincing example.

“Well...” Thomas paused for dramatic effect and Edwin almost wanted to giggle at the silliness (since when did he ever have the desire to giggle?). “There was one guy who threw up on the hallway carpet, licked it, threw up again, ran into the bathroom, pissed next to the toilet and then screamed for two hours while I cleaned it up.”

Well…

That certainly did take the cake.

Edwin supposed that he was always open to being proven wrong (he wasn't, but he could make an exception).

“Surely not.” Edwin imagined that he probably looked absolutely horrified.

The older grey cat beside him hissed and Thomas smirked with a sharp twinkle in his eye.

“That's right! You know what you did, Smoky.” Thomas pointed in accusation at the cat, who only glared at him, its tail swishing in irritation. “and I'll never let you live it down.”

Edwin was utterly speechless for a moment before being completely unable to hold back the full-bodied laughter that Thomas brought out of him. He hadn't laughed properly in weeks, maybe even months and he felt so much lighter for it.

“Alright, Thomas, I concede. I have most certainly never done anything quite so uncouth.” Edwin's laughter quieted down into chuckles as he wiped a tear from his eye and smiled at Thomas.

“See? I told you, best flatmate I've had so far.” Thomas smiled back, and goodness was it a gorgeous smile.

“I have to say; you are also somewhat of an upgrade.” Edwin smirked, deciding to joke with Thomas in much the same way that Thomas had been joking with him. “Though admittedly it doesn't take much to raise the bar from knocking me out and running away.”

“Well, I promise not to knock you out and run if you promise not to throw up on the carpet and scream at me.” Thomas held out his hand and Edwin's smile broadened.

“You have yourself a deal, Mr King.” Edwin shook his hand and was delighted to find that it only took them a brief moment before the pair of them were giggling at the absurdity of it all.

Edwin really was doomed from the start when it came to this man, wasn't he?