Chapter Text
“I can do this,” Vaggie repeated under her breath for the fourth time that hour. “I can do this.”
She thumbed at the small and velvet black box. The box. The ones that enclosed the most important things for tonight. The rings. The wedding rings.
It had been a month since the hotel opened. They had a few check ins. A few demons left after a few days because it wasn’t their thing, but others were staying and at least trying. Things were going well.
Heaven was defeated. The hotel was running smoothly. It seemed like now would be the right time.
She was going to ask Charlie to marry her.
She had made a dinner reservation to a restaurant two weeks in advance, some fancy restaurant in downtown Pentagram City. They usually sit aside one or two nights a month to try and have a date night. Most of them consisted of just game or movie nights because they were nervous to leave the hotel.
Vaggie wanted to do something special when she popped the question. Charlie deserved it. Charlie knew of the reservation, but thought it was just a normal date. They had both been excited about it all week.
The time passed soon enough. Vaggie peeked through the curtain, still clutching the box. It was around sunset, though it was hard to tell. Just another hour or two.
I can do this.
——
“CANCELLED?” Vaggie shouted. She sat on her bed, staring down at the voxmail from the restaurant. “What do they mean ‘cancelled’?!”
“A hellbug infestation,” Charlie whispered, leaning over her shoulder and squinting to read it. “Of all days.”
Vaggie felt like screaming into her pillow. “Seriously? I had to book this two weeks ahead! And they’re expensive! Who do they think they are?! I should call and let them know—”
“Calm down, Vaggie,” Charlie said, drawing her in. “We can do something else.”
“I’ll tell them you’re the princess and you said be treated like it!”
Charlie squinted. “Yeah, I really don’t feel like playing that card on some underpaid serving employee.” She rubbed a comforting, circular motion on Vaggie’s back. “We can figure something else out. We can stay in.”
Vaggie shot her a look. “Please not another movie night. I’m not sure how many more Disney movies I can handle.”
Charlie laughed. “No, not that. We can still have dinner. And it can be all candle lit and romantic and shit.”
“Okay.” Vaggie said, raising her eyebrows. “What will we eat?”
“I can ask the others to come up with something. They can have the leftovers. That way we can all eat,” Charlie proposed. “A homemade meal is always better anyway, I like to say.”
“And when that doesn’t work,” Vaggie deadpanned. “I’ll threaten them with my spear.”
“Sure, whatever you need to do,” Charlie said, smiling. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Vaggie’s cheek. “Don’t give up on tonight.” She whispered in Vaggie’s ear. “I had a dress picked out all for you to see.”
Vaggie could practically feel her cheeks go red. “Oh, yeah? I’m sure. I can’t wait.”
Charlie pressed another kiss to her cheek. “That’s my girl. Optimism fits you. Tonight will be great.”
God, I sure hope so.
——
After some major convincing, and some minor threatening on Vaggie’s part, the two women went upstairs and allotted themselves an hour to get ready and the others to make dinner. They decided on something basic and something that shouldn’t take too long to make — spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread.
Husk offered to bring out his good champagne, the kind of stuff Charlie had locked up for ‘special occasions’ or else everyone would drink it up and they’d only have the cheap shit left. Vaggie really didn’t wanna get drunk on cheap booze before she proposed to her girlfriend.
Before Vaggie followed Charlie upstairs, making sure the princess was out of earshot, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the box, snapping open the box with her thumb and showing everyone around her the rings.
Husk ceased his wiping, raising his brows. Cherri widened her eyes. Nifty crawled up onto the counter to get a closer glimpse at the shiny objects.
Angel, the closest to her, spit his drink out in surprise, but quickly recovered. He wiped his mouth off and smirked, the corner of his mouth curling up. “Look, I’m flattered,” he said, looking her up and down. “But you’re not my type, and, frankly, I don’t think I’m yours. I know when you squint just right, I can look like a girl—“
“Shut up, Angel,” she snapped. He closed his mouth and she moved to look at the rest of them. “I’m sure you can see now that this is a big night so I’d rather you not fuck it up. At least not this once.”
She shoved the box back in her pocket. Everyone stared back at her, blinking. “Please and thank you,” she added quickly.
“Didn’t know you had it in you,” Husk chuckled. “Good luck.”
“About time,” Angel quipped. “If you didn’t marry her, I would. Have you seen her dad? Shit, man, the things I’d let him do—”
“Oh, Lord,” Husk groaned. “Here we go again.”
Vaggie turned as she felt an arm around her shoulder. Cherri leaned in, smiling. “Finally, something exciting is happening around here,” she said. “Do you need some special effects? I know I still have a bomb or two laying around here somewhere.”
Vaggie pulled away, peeling her arm off her. “Uh, no. Thank you though.”
Cherri shrugged. “Your loss.”
Vaggie turned to Nifty practically in her face, grinning widely. “Congratulations!” She chirped.
“She hasn’t said yes yet,” Vaggie replied.
“Oh!” She said, “Whatever. I’ll make sure it’s clean.”
Vaggie watched her jump off the counter and run down the hall to only Satan knows where. When she was aware everyone was talking to each other, she got up and started up the stairway to prepare. She heard them talking about what color tablecloth to use, what vintage of wine. Excitement was in the air at the future engagement of the hotel’s two owners.
Her chest warmed at their eagerness to help. They were good people when they wanted to be, when they weren’t fighting or starting bar brawls or getting on Vaggie’s nerves. They had their moments.
Vaggie started up the stairway and took a deep breath, preparing for what awaited her tonight. She had decided to take a bathroom in one of the many empty rooms, leaving Charlie to get ready in their own. She wanted their outfits to be a surprise.
She got ready fairly quickly. She slipped into her outfit, which was fairly simple — a white button-up shirt and black dress pants. She twisted her hair back into a low bun. She usually didn’t care much for makeup but applied some light mascara and lip color.
She was the first downstairs. The lobby had been transformed. The lights were off, the room dim. There was a small table in the middle with two chairs opposite of each other. Candlesticks were lit in the middle. The table was set with a plate, wine glass, and fork for each. The others must have been in the kitchen still, the aroma of food wafting out through the open door.
Angel was finishing putting down the tablecloth, which was a deep red. He caught sight of her, flashed her a thumbs up with all four hands, and disappeared back into the kitchen. His message was clear. Good luck.
Vaggie took another deep breath and sat down as she waited for Charlie. A moment later, she heard light footsteps and the creak of the stairs. She looked up and there was her girlfriend. Her breath caught in her throat.
Damn. Her girlfriend looked good.
She had chosen a slick red dress that clung to her body. It was high-necked with a heart shaped cut out on the chest, revealing a bit of cleavage, and a slit on the leg that showed the shadow of her thigh. For once, she wore her hair down, long and loose. Her makeup was simple, her lips red and eyelids colored.
She flashed Vaggie a smile. “How do I look?”
“I think you may be the fallen angel,” she blurted out.
She laughed and Vaggie scrambled up to push out her chair for her. Charlie sat as Vaggie pushed it back in, smiling. “What a gentleman.”
Vaggie caught Charlie’s hand in hers, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Only for you, mi amor.”
Vaggie pulled away. Charlie blushed and looked away as she did each time Vaggie spoke Spanish. Vaggie sat down and pushed her own chair in.
“You look good too,” Charlie said. “You should wear your hair like that more often. It suits you.”
It was now Vaggie’s turn to blush. “Thank you.”
“So,” Charlie spoke up. “Did you enjoy yesterday’s exercise—“
“No work talk,” Vaggie replied coolly.
Charlie frowned. “Why not?”
“It’s one of the only nights we have off. Let’s enjoy it. Please.”
“What do we talk about then?”
Vaggie shrugged. “The weather?”
“The weather is the same everyday,” Charlie retorted.
Vaggie paused. “I heard they got acid rain in Wrath.”
Charlie hunched her shoulders, then started to laugh. “We really need to get a life, huh?”
Vaggie rolled her one eye back. “A bit? The hotel is our life.”
“I suppose you’re correct,” Charlie replied. Her gaze flickered to the back doorway of the kitchen. “Will the food be ready soon? I’m starving.”
“I think so—“
There was a clamor in the kitchen just as soon as she began to speak. A lot of banging, yelling, and cursing. And was that the smoke alarm? The girlfriends exchanged a glance but stayed seated, concerned.
A moment later, the door opened and the smell hit the air. The smell of burnt food. Vaggie nearly threw her head back and groaned. Shit.
Angel appeared a moment later, holding a bottle of wine and frowning. She sent him a glare he ignored. You had ONE job.
“So, um,” he said, clearing his throat. “We burnt the food.”
Charlie raised her eyebrows. “All of it?”
“All of it,” Angel clarified. He held up the bottle. “Wine?”
“How do you burn pasta?!” Vaggie burst out. Tonight was supposed to be perfect. “It’s one of the easiest things to make!”
“Hey, Vaggie, it’s okay,” Charlie said calmly. “I’m sure we have something else to eat.” She turned to Angel. “What else do we have?”
He scratched the back of his head. “Uh, we have some popsicles in the freezer.”
“Ooh, that sounds good. Right, Vaggie?”
“Fucking fantastic,” she grumbled.
Charlie ignored her. “Popsicles for dinner it is!”
Angel nodded, already scrambling back into the kitchen. “Okay then. Two popsicles, coming right up.”
Popsicles? This wasn’t the nice, romantic dinner she had promised. This was going all wrong.
Angel returned promptly with two purple popsicles, grape flavored. Vaggie frowned and bit her lip. She had never cared for grapes. While Charlie unwrapped hers and began to suck on it, she left hers on the plate, melting.
She took a minute to gather her thoughts and cleared her throat. Charlie’s gaze fell on her, questioning. “Um, Charlie?”
“Hmm?” She hummed. Her voice was muffled by the popsicle currently shoved in her mouth.
“I wanted to talk to you tonight about something,” Vaggie said, fidgeting with the end of the table cloth. “Something important.”
Charlie smiled, though it was a bit shaky. She appeared mildly concerned or confused, Vaggie couldn’t tell which. Her teeth and tongue were stained purple. “Well, I’m all ears!”
Vaggie let herself one small laugh. “I’m sorry tonight hasn’t worked out the way I wanted it to,” she began.
Charlie widened her eyes. “Oh, no, no. It’s not your fault. And it’s fine. I’d be happy at the dirtiest dive bar in the city, as long as I’m with you.”
“I’m glad you feel that way,” Vaggie breathed. “I feel that way too. I feel that if you’re by my side, I can take on anything.. and I just..” she trailed off. “I love you, you know that, right?”
“Of course,” Charlie said. She blinked. “I love you too.”
She fumbled with her pocket. Charlie only looked more confused.
“Charlie,” Vaggie began. “The thing I wanted to ask you—”
Angel promptly appeared from down the hall, looking like he had snorted another bad bag of coke. “Nifty’s on fire!”
“WHAT?!”
Both women jumped up from their seats and followed after Angel, racing into the kitchen. Inside, it was chaos. The small demon ran to and from, the edge of her skirt caught in flames. Cherri was on the counter, yelling strings of curses. She crouched next to the pans of charred and blackened food. (Seriously. How did you fuck up spaghetti that badly?)
“Where’s the fire extinguisher?!” Charlie yelped, watching it all unfold.
“There’s no time!” Husk yelled back. He was by the sink, filling up an empty pot, wings fluttering. “She’s gonna burn the whole fucking place down!”
They didn’t have time to even react before she was leaning back and pouring the pot over Nifty, who just happened to be right in front of the two of them. They blinked and were being doused in cold water, completely soaked.
Hey, at least the fire was out.
Nifty stopped running around, just standing there and blinking. Cherri slowly got off the counter. Everyone just stood there, blinking.
“Shit,” Husk said, dumping the pot in the sink with a loud clang. “My bad.”
Vaggie looked down. She was drenched to the bone, dripping onto the floor. She peeled off her jacket, trying to wring it out. Could tonight get any worse?
She looked back to her girlfriend, who stood there with a shocked expression on her face. Her makeup was waterlogged, stained and running. Her dress was soaked through. She looked surprised and miserable.
Vaggie moved forward. “Charlie?”
“It’s fine!” She squeaked, voice cracking. “Everything’s fine.” She tried to move and nearly slipped on the edge of her watery dress. “Aw, shit.”
Her voice was strained, like she was forcing herself not to cry. She wiped at her eyes, smearing the mascara on the back of her head. “It’s fine,” she repeated.
Vaggie tried to reach out. “Charlie—“
Charlie jerked back, eyes wide. “What do you want? I said I’m fine!”
Vaggie blinked. “You don’t look fine.”
“Well, I am,” she spat.
“Okay..? Charlie..”
“Why do you care?” She suddenly burst out. “Weren’t you going to break up with me?”
Vaggie’s jaw fell open. “What?”
“I’m not stupid!” Charlie cried. “That’s why you were sneaking around. Don’t think I didn’t notice. You’ve been so distant and secretive. You’ve been nervous and fidgeting all night. And for the first time in months you’re trying to take me on a proper date. Planning on letting me down easy, huh?” She shook her head. “What is it? Is it all too much for you? Are you leaving? Are you—”
“Charlie,” Vaggie practically begged. “What are you talking about? I—”
Charlie only turned her back on her. “I need to be alone.” She paused, narrowing her eyes. “ Don’t follow me.”
“Charlie!” Vaggie exclaimed.
No reply.
“Wait.”
She turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving wet footprints under her. She left the rest of them with their mouths open. Vaggie stood there, arms crossed, in shock.
What just happened?
“Well,” Angel said, the first to speak. “I take that it didn’t go well.”
“Fuck!” Vaggie cursed. “I have to go talk to her, I— I’d never leave her! Why would she ever think that?”
Husk shrugged. “She’s probably just upset. I would be too if I got a gallon of water dumped on me, and my food burned, and my reservation canceled, and my girlfriend acting like some twitchy addict—”
“I get it!” Vaggie snapped.
“You wouldn’t like being all wet, huh, pussycat?” Angel said, directed towards Husk.
Husk ignored him. “Go get her,” he told Vaggie. “We’ll clean up.”
“We will?” Cherri echoed.
They all turned and sent her a glare. “I mean, we will! Yay!”
Vaggie sighed and started towards the door, but not before turning back to the group in the kitchen and sending them one last warning glance. “Stay out of this part, will you? This night has been disastrous enough.”
“You got it!” Nifty said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cherri replied. “Go get your girl.”
“We can see your nipples through your shirt,” came Angel’s voice.
“Shut up!”
With that, she left the kitchen and started up the stairs, the box still heavy in her pocket, eager to set things right.