Chapter Text
Vaggie walked through the blue and white halls of the hotel she co-ran with Charlie. Although she felt like she did most of the running while Charlie did all the playing.
Vaggie looked through her clipboard looking at all the responsibilities her and Charlie had for the day which would inevitably turn into Vaggie's responsibilities. Gah! She wanted to strangle that girl a good ninety-nine percent of the time.
And as for the other one percent? She wasn't sure, but she knew that girl drove her mad.
Vaggie was so focused on her frustration with Charlie she didn't even notice Angel till she bumped into him causing them both to drop what they were holding.
"Ah!"
"Hey, watch it, toots." Angel said, picking up his small notebook and pencil. While he fixed his hair and hat with his two other hands.
"Sorry, Ang." Vaggie said, wiping Angel's pencil shavings off her black tux. "Still writing?"
"Yep." Angel replied focusing on his notebook.
"Anything good?"
"All crap." Angel replied with a tired sigh, rubbing his eyelids with one hand and sharping his pencil with the other two.
"Sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll come up with something good soon."
Angel Dust gave a weak chuckle in response "Yeah, I better my publisher is breathing down my ass."
"You mean neck?"
"I know what I said." Angel said, waving off her correction.
Vaggie just shook her head at Angel's crude choice of words before asking, "Hey, have you seen Charlie?"
Angel Dust chuckled, "You mean circus so-crazy? She's where she usually is."
Vaggie let out an exasperated sighed. "Of course. Of course, she's there. Why is she never anywhere else?"
Angel Dust laughed and waved bye to Vaggie. "Well, I gotta run. Hey, tell your girlfriend I say hi."
"She's not my girlfriend!" Vaggie exclaimed as she tugged on her hair and walked towards Charlie's usual spot.
A hand grabbed the handle of trapeze handle and swung from it before letting go and doing a backflip before narrowly missing the next handle, but grabbing it with her leg, flipping over it and grabbing it with her other hand. She dangled from the handle, letting her hair fall upside down. She smiled feeling her adrenaline hit. This, this made her feel happy.
"Charlie!" Vaggie exclaimed from below. Charlie smiled seeing her grey skinned eyepatch wearing business partner. "Hey, Vagabond. What's up?"
Vaggie grumbled and rubbed her eyelid. "Charlie, get your butt down from there."
"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Charlie said with a low seductive sounding voice.
Vaggie sputtered. Why was she always like this with her? Why did it always get to her.
"Look, Charlie, we.."
Vaggie watched as Charlie leapt from the handle of her trapeze wire to the next. "Yeah, go on."
Vaggie watched as Charlie continued her trapeze act. While Vaggie was impressed by Charlie's skills on the trapeze, she was more annoyed that Charlie wasn't taking any of this hotel stuff seriously.
"Charlie, amigo, compañera, Pana..."
"Oh, Spanish. You know what that does to me." Charlie said with a mischievous smile.
"Charlie! Listen! We need to discuss hotel finances and I.. we can't do that if you're trying to fly like Superman."
Vaggie said, hoping her face would stop feeling so warm. Why did it feel so warm all of a sudden?
"Try it. It's fun." Charlie said, swinging upside from the trapeze handle.
Vaggie just stared in disbelief. Was this girl serious?
"Really? Charlie, can we have a normal conversation for once? Please?"
Charlie slowed her swing, but kept herself on the trapeze handle. "We can."
"Thank you."
"Only if you join me." Charlie said with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, you son of a..." Vaggie held back her swear. She really didn't want to play Charlie's games, but she really didn't have much of a choice here. Vaggie grumbled and climbed up the ladder to the podium that led to the trapeze wires.
Charlie smiled as Vaggie played her game. She swung slowly listening to Vaggie talk. Vaggie crossed her arms and tapped her foot angrily against the wooden platform.
"Okay, now that I got your attention, we need to discuss finances."
"You're pretty from this angle. All grumpy and pouty and upside down." Charlie said swinging slowly back and forth watching Vaggie's angry expression grow anger.
Vaggie was growing more frustrated by Charlie's antics. Not only was she pissing her off, but she was making her feel all flustered which she couldn't decide which was worse.
"Charlie! Focus!"
"I am." Charlie said, finally stopping her swing.
"No, you're not. You're doing that thing where you act like you're listening and then you make that stupid face that and then you make me feel all..."
"All what?" Charlie asked, curiosity clearly peaked.
Vaggie closed her mouth immediately before she accidentally told Charlie something she shouldn't.
"All... annoyed. Look, Charlie, I just want to have a normal conversation with you for once. Without getting distracted."
"Aw, do I distract you, Vaggie?" Charlie said, beginning her swing again. Vaggie grabbed the rope to stop Charlie's swing.
"Yes, you do. Now, can we please talk. I have an overlord meeting in an hour and we really need to discuss the hotel. So, please can we?"
Charlie thought about it for a moment before nodding which looked rather funny with her being upside down. Vaggie let out a small sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
Vaggie sat at the edge of the platform, her legs dangling over the edge of it while Charlie pulled herself up and turned to face Vaggie still ever so slightly swinging from the trapeze wire.
"So, the hotel is doing well. Got a few new guests, Alastor is drawing in a crowd as usual. Husker is still advocating for his casino wing."
"I still think we should add it." Charlie said, her eyes never leaving Vaggie for a moment even as she swung.
"We aren't adding a casino. We already added a Niffty's mixology class. I am not adding a casino on top of that."
"Oh, you're no fun." Charlie said with a low playful sounding voice.
"Yeah, guess I'm not." Vaggie said with a slight chuckle.
"That all?" Charlie asked wondering if she could get back to her swinging.
"Charlie, we haven't even began to discuss the issues yet."
Vaggie said, both amused and slightly annoyed by Charlie's urge to swing.
Charlie let out a long annoyed sounding sigh.
"Fine. What else is there?"
"Well, we need more funding. Your dads, Husker, and Alastor's funding can only go so far and we blew through Angel's nine months ago." Vaggie said, explaining their money situation to Charlie. Even though she cared more about fun then financing the hotel.
"Okay, I'll just call auntie Bee, granted she'll probably ask for another party wing to be added to the hotel, but small price to pay for funding."
Vaggie wasn't exactly fond of that idea. The hotel already had so many additional wings that were added to the hotel as part of an agreement with the other Sins and Overlords and that only caused them to bleed more money, which made them need more money, which made them make deals that resulted in new additions to the hotel, which only caused the vicious cycle to continue.
"Nope, not asking Bee for help again. How bout... maybe we could put on another concert? Maybe get more than just Alastor this time?" Vaggie suggested.
"Ooh, maybe we could get Millie? I love that girl's music."
Charlie began to hum a tune that Vaggie had heard too many times down here. She simply shook her head and chuckled. "As long as she doesn't cost an arm and a leg, deal."
Charlie squealed with joy and began to swing some more. Vaggie couldn't help but just watch the playful princess a bit. There was something about Charlie that kept Vaggie coming back despite driving her up the walls. She wasn't sure what it was exactly but whatever it was kept her coming back.
Charlie glanced over at Vaggie's noticing the look she was giving her unintentionally. She knew Vaggie was probably lost in her own head again and wasn't playing attention to what she was staring at but it still made Charlie's demonic heart flutter.
"Anything else?" Charlie asked, her tone teasing. Vaggie snapped back to reality, realizing she had been caught staring. She cleared her throat and tried to play it cool.
"Um, yeah, um.. Angel! Yeah, Angel. He's still working on his latest script or novel. He says his publisher is breathing down his ass but I'm sure he means his neck. At least I hope he does." Vaggie said trying her hardest not to laugh. Charlie on the other hand didn't even try to hide her laugh. She held tight to her trapeze wire as to not accidentally fall off it from laughing too hard.
Once Charlie's laughing fit had calmed down, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over Vaggie, admiring how her black tux hugged her body, made her look all confident, beautiful and badass all at once. Charlie could feel her pale cheeks flushing as she continued to admired the one eyed overlord before her.
Charlie kept swinging slowly, watching Vaggie speak, before realizing 'oh, crap! Right, she's talking.'
"Are you listening, Charlie?" Vaggie asked, noticing Charlie's gaze and how her mind seemed to wander.
"Huh? Umm... yeah."
"Then what did I say?"
"Um... that you love working with me and I'm a great friend?" Charlie said with a wide cheery smile.
Vaggie groaned but not in an annoyed tone, more or a 'You're lucky I like you' kinda way.
Charlie laughed before holding tight to the trapeze wire and tilting herself so far back that she was practically upside down now. Vaggie watched with amusement at how skilled Charlie was on the trapeze.
"How do you do that?"
"Hm?" Charlie hummed curiously. "What do you mean? Trapeze? It's pretty easy actually." Charlie said curling the wire around her leg and hung from that instead of the handle.
Vaggie laughed in disbelief. "Easy? Sure. You're practically gambling with your right life now."
Charlie scoffed and confidently said, "Honey, you're talking to a girl raised in the Lust and Gluttony. Swinging from dangerously high objects is kinda the normal there."
Charlie said as she untangled her leg from the wire and grabbed the handle as she fell which scared the crap out of Vaggie for a few seconds when she saw Charlie untangle the wire from her leg before she caught the handle.
"Jeez, you scared me just then." Vaggie said, clutching where her heart was.
"Relax, I was raised by the great Fizzarolli, I know how to swing from a wire." Charlie said, as she locked her arm loosely around the handle of her trapeze which only served to scare Vaggie more as Charlie hang on loosely.
"Okay, I get it. Now, pull yourself back up. I don't want you falling." Vaggie said, growing more worried by the second.
"Aw, you care."
"Of course I care!" Vaggie exclaimed like it was basic knowledge. Charlie giggled mischievously.
"Yeah, I know..." Charlie let go of the handle and began to free fall. Vaggie immediately became panicked.
"Charlie!"
Vaggie unfurled her white wings and darted downwards towards the falling Charlie. Charlie had an almost peaceful look on her face as she fell like she was in full control still.
Vaggie grabbed Charlie and held her tight and close, flapping her wings pulling them back up. She met Charlie's smug smiling face with her own angry look.
"Are you crazy?!?!"
Charlie laughed. "I knew you'd catch me." Charlie said, running her fingers over Vaggie's soft feathers.
"And what if I didn't?!" Vaggie said, shaking Charlie a bit which only caused Charlie to laugh more and point to the spot below them. "Vag, there's a net."
Vaggie looked down and there was indeed a net. Clear as day. Charlie would have been fine, Vaggie just acted on instinct wanting to protect Charlie.
"Oh, yeah..haha." Vaggie chuckled nervously.
Charlie smiled in a way that Vaggie couldn't explain, but the way she smiled at her made her cheeks warm up again, her wings twitching a bit more as she realized just how close she held Charlie.
Charlie could tell Vaggie was nervous and she knew exactly why. Charlie moved a strand of hair out of Vaggie's face, and cupped her cheek, which only made Vaggie's cheeks burn brighter.
Charlie could just kiss her right here and now, but she wanted to play with Vaggie just a little more. She glanced up towards the roof where a large aerial hoop hung above them. She pointed upwards, silently asking Vaggie to fly her up there. Vaggie looked up and nodded. She flew upwards and careful set Charlie in the aerial hoop. Vaggie was about to fly away when Charlie grabbed her and pulled her into the hoop with her. Vaggie held tight to the top part of the hoop and the side closest to her back. Charlie laughed as Vaggie shot her an angry look.
Vaggie wanted to be mad. She really did... but she wasn't. The way Charlie laughed and smiled at her made her unable to get mad at Charlie even though she really should be. Vaggie joined in Charlie's laughter and began to rock the hoop a bit.
Charlie reached up and pulled the pin that kept the hoop above them in place. The hoop and them began to fall and spin as it rushed downwards. Once the hoop hit its max length it bounced violently but the two held tight to the insids of the hoop, still laughing as the hoop bounce and spun with them in it.
The two locked eyes for a moment, maybe it was the adrenaline from the hoop falling, maybe it was the residual adrenaline from Charlie's fall or maybe it was the two finally feeling confident enough to finally act on this.
The two got closer, closed the gap, and caught each other's lips in a passionate yet gentle kiss.
The two stayed there for a moment or two like that, kissing in the slow rocking hoop. Eventually, the two separated and just stared at each other like they just realized what they did. Charlie began to smile wide, realizing she finally kissed Vaggie, the girl who kept her head on her shoulders, the girl who helped run the hotel when Charlie acted to childish to. Charlie felt like she was on cloud nine, but her smile fell when she saw the look of shock and almost horror on Vaggie's face.
Vaggie covered her mouth in a panic. That was not supposed to happen. She just kissed Charlie. She kissed the princess of Hell.
Vaggie unfurled her wings and began to fly away from the hoop and Charlie.
"Vaggie, wait!" Charlie exclaimed, reaching her hand out towards the flying girl, but Vaggie was too far away now.
Vaggie turned back and stepped out of the room. "I'm sorry. I-it's nothing you did, I swear."
Vaggie said as she ran out of the room.
Charlie let out a pained groaned and leaned against the inside of the hoop. "Great, Charlie. Just great."
Charlie had kissed a lot of people before and had them not reciprocate the feeling before, but why did this one hurt the most out of all of them? Charlie ran her fingers over her lips, still feeling Vaggie's lips on hers despite her lips being long gone now.
Vaggie walked through the hallway of the hotel, groaning and rubbing her face, mumbling something under her breath. "That wasn't part of the plan, Vaggie. Why did you do that?"
Vaggie asked herself. She kissed Charlie, the girl who drove her nuts, the daughter of the devil himself. She just kissed her... and she really liked it.
Vaggie kept telling herself it was wrong and that she shouldn't have kissed her, but the more she thought that the more she felt more comfortable with what had happened and kinda felt a little happy that her and Charlie kissed. She kinda wanted to do it again. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but smile at the memories of the kiss, running her fingers over her lips, still feeling Charlie's lips on hers.
Vaggie's footsteps echoed through the hallway. Vaggie would have to talk to Charlie about this later, right now she had a meeting to get to, but she knew it would be hard to focus when she just had her heart stolen by the circus girl.