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Charlie's not quite sure what she's meant to do here.
She tries. She tries, so hard, to empathize with Adam. To give him the same chance she's given everyone else.
But it's like he doesn't even care. He's here, and he says he wants to go back to Heaven, but he doesn't try.
It hurts Charlie's very soul to think such a thing. But it's true.
He barely participates in the exercises, he has yet to pronounce Vaggie's name right, and Charlie won't begin to count the amount of times his gaze has landed slightly below her eyes.
It's frustrating. But Charlie persists.
There's a reason he's here.
So she takes a deep breath, summons a cheery disposition, and knocks on the former angel's bedroom door.
There's a near-silent shuffle of feet from inside. A sigh. The door opens.
"What." Adam barks, and Charlie gets the distinct idea that he's not doing too well, what with the mess of his robes and the strands of hair sticking up on his head.
"Um..." Charlie begins uselessly, momentarily wishing she brought Vaggie or her dad along.
Actually, no. That's a terrible idea. Maybe Husk or something, he's practically their therapist anyway. Not to mention the only one Adam seems to be willing to have a five second conversation with. Perks of being the bartender, she supposes.
"Yo." Adam snaps. "I don't got all day lady, you gonna start yapping, or what?"
"Oh!" Charlie flinches out of her reverie, tossing the other a warm grin. "Sorry! Lost my train of thought there... Could I come in?"
Adam raises a bushy brow. "Aren't you fuckin gay or some shit?"
...
This is gonna be difficult.
"First of all, I am bi." Charlie points out. "Secondly, you have completely misread the situation."
"Have I though?" Asks Adam, a cocky smirk resting on his face.
"Yes."
"Boring. Fine though, whatever." Adam backs out of the doorway, and Charlie prides herself on the fact that she only hesitates a little before walking in after him.
"So..." Charlie rocks on the balls of her feet, unsure. "How are you holding up?"
"In Hell? Not so great, sugartits."
Charlie politely changes the subject. "You seem to be getting along well with Husk?"
"Who, the furry?" Adam asks incredulously, a mocking laugh in his voice. "I get along with the alcohol, princess, he just happens to be the one giving it to me."
He scoffs, shaking his head. But as he plops down onto his bed, Charlie notices a faraway look in his eyes, a tiredness that doesn't quite fit.
...
"Adam..?"
He groans. Loudly. "Whaaaaat.?" He whines.
"What are you thinking about?" The demon tilts her own head to the side, taking a slow step closer to the man.
"How I fucked your mom." He says, automatically, before gasping. "Yooo, and that works too! Cuz I did fu-"
"Yes! Okay!" Charlie interrupts frantically. "I do not need that mental picture, thank you very much-"
Adam only laughs, a loud, jarring cackle.
Charlie sighs. "Adam, can you please be genuine with me? Just this once..?"
"Nah, babe, I've never been genuine in my life." Adam replies, sticking his finger in his ear. "If you think I'm gonna start now, you're a dumber bitch than I thought."
He grins, flicking a ball of earwax at the shorter. "And I already thought you were a pretty dumb bitch."
Charlie grimaces, wiping the offending substance off her suit. "Well... maybe genuine is a bit too much to ask of you, so early in your journey."
She takes in a breath, slowly moving to sit next to the man. "Do you think you can handle... semi-honest?"
Adam squints, scanning the girl up and down like pray to stalked. "...Yeah, okay."
"Really!?" Charlie exclaims, unable to help the glint in her eye. She squeals softly. "Oh, that's great! We have to use this! Okay-"
She gets up from her seat beside the fallen angel, pacing around the room excitedly. "Lets start with something simple- are you excited to go back to Heaven?" She asks, channeling some of her trademark optimism into the conversation.
Adam grins, to her surprise, seemingly unfazed by the change of topic. "Fuck yeah, baby! Can't wait to take my rightful place again! Man, Lute's probably been beating up all my exterminators or something, jesus christ-"
Charlie stills, confusion flooding her brain. "Lute?"
"Yeah, she's my second in command. She's in charge while I'm out of commission." Adam snickers. "Dumb bitch."
"You don't seem too bothered by that." Charlie raises a brow. She's gathered, in her time knowing him, that Adam likes to be the one in power. Especially when women are involved.
"Nah, Lute's awesome, she'll keep things running until I get back." The taller waves his hand, utterly nonchalant.
"Hmm..." Charlie bites the inside of her cheek, considering. "Y'know, you treat Lute a lot better than most other women."
"She is better than most other women." The other responds, casual once more, as if it should be common knowledge. "Probably like, all the other women, actually."
"...How so?"
Adam shrugs, and in a moment of rare decency, meets the demon's eyes. "She didn't really do anything, it's just like, a gut feeling."
Charlie nods, slowly. She's not sure why, but she feels like this conversation may actually be going somewhere.
And no matter how confusing that may be to the cogs turning in her mind, she has to take advantage of that. "Okay... Can you describe it? The... gut feeling?"
Adam squints, but it seems like he's considering how to answer.
Progress, Charlie reminds herself. Baby steps.
Adam finds himself a semblance of words. "...Warm? But like, a subtle warmth. And kinda... prickly? No that's not right- Tingly."
He hums, scrunching his brows in distaste. "But the tingling is really subtle too..."
...
Charlie's cogs come to a full, screeching halt.
"...Fuzzy?" She offers timidly.
"Yeah, sure, that." Adam replies, and oh.
Oh shit.
"Is there..." Charlie hesitates, then clears her throat, determined to reach a breakthrough. "Have there been times where this feeling is more obvious than others?"
Adam bites his lip, uncharacteristically thoughtful. "...Yes." He states after a time.
Charlie takes a risk. "Tell me about it?"
Adam scans her once more, almost suspicious. But his demeanor dies down a little, and Charlie's hunch is encouraged.
"Yeah, sure. Couldn't hurt." He sighs, and Charlie can tell he's painting a picture in his head of the exact moment. "...Okay. So y'know how Lutes like, majorly uptight, right?"
Charlie hesitates, not wanting to sound rude. "...Right?"
"Right. So it was like, ten months or some shit since I hired her and we went to a bar and everything was dandy-" Adam pauses for a moment, just to recall it. "And I-"
He snickers, a giddy smile on his face. "Fuck man, I don't even remember the joke I made, but I made a joke, and then she just... started laughing."
He glances back at Charlie. "And it was weird, right? Cuz it was this girl who like, never even cracked a smile. And I made a joke that I would've made on any other day, and she just- burst out laughing."
His eyes soften a bit. "And you wanna know what else is weird?"
"Yeah?" Charlie encourages softly.
"...It was an ugly, ugly sound." Adam breathes.
"...Oh." is all Charlie can say in reply.
"Mhm. It was like- a fuckin cackle, dude. And she was snorting, and her face was all scrunched up, and she was banging on the table, and I swear I saw tears." Adam grins sharply. "And all I could think was, woah."
"Mm..." Charlie shifts uncomfortably, reconsidering her previous line of thought.
"...How do I get her to do this more often?"
"Wait, what?"
"Right??" Adam lets out a laugh, short and breathy. "And I tell ya, it is not the kinda laugh anyone wants to experience on a regular basis."
He sighs, eyes soft once more. "But in that moment, all I wanted to do was listen to it, on loop, for the rest of eternity."
Charlie sits down next to him again.
"...It was almost a tragedy when she finally stopped." Adam states distantly. "I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. I tried to think of something else to make her laugh again. I was desperate."
He smiles, almost plaintive. "But the moment was gone."
...
"Adam?" Asks Charlie, gentle and soft. "Do you have feelings for Lute?"
And his soft expression is gone in a flash, replaced with an aggressive disbelief. "What? No!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm fuckin sure!"
"Adam. Warm and fuzzy?"
"You shut your fuckin trap woman, you don't know shit-"
"Are you seriously telling me you've never even considered-"
"Of course I've fuckin considered it!" Adam interrupts, and Charlie's entire brain stops working, right then and there.
There's a beat of silence, where all the pair can seem to do is stare.
Adam breaks the silence. "Obviously, I've considered it. I'm not fuckin stupid." He turns away. "But I can't be in love with Lute."
Charlie scoots a bit closer, trying to catch the fallen angel's gaze. "Why not?" She asks gently.
"Because I've been in love, asshole." He hisses through his teeth. "I've been married twice. And those people were literally made to be my soulmates."
And in a moment of raw, genuine emotion, Adam sighs, mumbling under his breath. "Not like they ever got that memo, but my point still fucking stands..."
"Adam... that's not-" Charlie exhales sharply, gathering her words. "That's not... what love is."
Adam turns back to the demon, mouth open to respond.
But the latter beats him to it. "I mean, look at me and Vaggie! She was an excorsist angel, and I'm the devil's daughter! If anything, we were made against each other!"
Adam rolls his eyes.
"No, really!" Charlie grins, reaching a hand out to place on the other's shoulder. "Love isn't about having a soulmate. It's about trust, and devotion, and support. It comes from the little things. It comes from being able to know each other. To be able to get to know each other."
Adam scoffs again, but the quality of the sound is different. It carries less disdain, more affection. "Oh, Lute knows me alright."
Charlie waits patiently for him to continue.
"She takes me seriously." Adam states, a fond grin resting on his face. "But she never leaves me hanging either."
...
"She gives me a break from all the first man bullshit. Actually, she kinda is the break. Willingly talks to me outside of work."
Adam brings a shaky hand to his chest, clutching the fabric of his robe. "She's stayed by my side longer than anyone."
Charlie places her hand over his, and they make eye contact, and for the first time, she really feels like the other is looking at her.
She smiles, voice soft. "How could you not fall in love?"
He chuckles, just a bit. "That's a damn good question."
"We're gonna get you back to Heaven." The shorter says, certainty flooding her chest. "You're gonna see Lute again."
Adam's eyes shine with a foreign hope. He swallows. "Sure, hun. If you say so."
She does.
She really, really does.