Enough
After everyone filed into the kitchen little by little, they all took their plates into the common room to eat, as per routine.
Charlie glanced around for a place to sit. This common area was right outside the dining hall, and was the most used place to eat a meal as a result. No one thought that there was anything wrong with the dining hall, and occasionally sinners did use it for its intended purpose. But as of right now the entire room was left untouched for the most part, place settings neatly set up on the table that always ended up collecting dust.
Charlie honestly saw the logic in not using that room. It was so large that you could hear an echo no matter where you were in the room, and it was so regal it bordered on gaudy and intimidating. The common areas were much cozier and had a close-knit feel.
A good portion of the residents were fairly independent to some degree. They also all had schedules of their own. So it was always an interesting change of pace whenever everyone gathered together. Sometimes no one even said a word to each other, enjoying the meal in a comfortable silence. Other nights though you couldn't get anyone to stop talking, especially Angel Dust, Niffty, or Steel, or sometimes even Husk.
This was wonderful, and it made Charlie so happy. Demons, even those that were friends with each other, often showed animosity in close quarters. No one liked to feel trapped or as if they had an obligation to be near someone. It was now very rare to see any of the residents be irritated with each other during meals, or during…ever, actually. It had taken a while for everyone to find common ground with each other, especially concerning Steel and Sanderson, but once they did, there were very little problems. Everyone seemed to treat each other like siblings.
Adopted, irritable, reluctant, demonic siblings.
The one thing that would end up needing addressed, however, was being in close quarters. Most of the common areas were small to begin with, but it wasn't a problem. That is, when there used to be only the six of them. There was now a total of nine residents in the Hotel. And there was only so much sofa and chair space before one would have to take a seat on the floor, or tediously dragging over some other piece of furniture from a different part of the Hotel to sit on. Space in the common area was now bordering on limited. They might very well have to start using the dining hall soon, if they got in anymore residents.
Charlie had to take a seat on the floor. They were still waiting on Alastor and two more residents to show up, and they would most likely take the remaining couch and chair. As she waited, she thought about the dining room, and how to make it more welcoming and homey.
This musing was put on hold when her ears picked up on Alastor's radio static. She looked up and smiled when she saw him walking towards the common area. A couple of the residents casually greeted him, to which he gave a curt head nod.
Charlie opened her mouth to greet him as well, but then she closed it, her smile fading into something curious. Alastor had his arms crossed behind his back, humming a random little tune, and wearing his ever-present smile. It was the smile that got Charlie's attention. It wasn't as wide as it normally was, as if something had tired him. Charlie chewed her bottom lip, trying not to read too far into.
She wanted to learn everything about him. His likes, his dislikes, his past, his passions, and the overall inner workings of his mind. However, she knew she had to be careful. She was learning more and more with every passing day that his smile never held one singular, gleeful emotion. It could be tense, kind, solemn, or even wistful, to name a few. His usual manic grin was supposed to hide these emotions as well as many others, or at least that was how Charlie was understanding it. His smile could be genuine, as she'd seen a multitude of times, but he also used it as a wall. Therefore, she had to be careful not to offend him, or diminish the trust he had for her.
Alastor glanced around, searching. Then his eyes fell on Charlie, and his smile widened softly.
"Hello, my dear," he said as he approached. "Why, may I ask, are you sitting on the floor? There's plenty of seating to choose from still."
"Vaggie and Angel haven't gotten here yet, so I was making sure they had a place to sit. It looks like they've become really good friends lately," Charlie explained. "If you want, you can take the chair next to it."
Alastor glanced at the suede recliner, scowled briefly at it as if it personally offended him, and proceeded to make Charlie blush in surprise as he serenely sat down on the floor beside her. He ran his hands downward to straighten his coat, probably feeling a little undignified. He jumped slightly when he accidentally brushed the side of her leg with his own, but quickly recovered by decidedly shifting closer to her for more of that contact.
"I, um," Charlie muttered coyly as she handed him the extra plate that she had grabbed. "I saved you a slice."
He gladly took it from her. "And here I thought I would've been too late and that there would be nothing left. Do forgive my tardiness, dearest." He took a bite. "There's enough left for the rest of the sinners, yes?"
For a split second, Charlie thought this question was just a little too selfless on Alastor's part, until she reminded herself that he took pride in his cooking. It only made sense that he wanted to share it and show it off.
Charlie nodded. "More than enough-"
"And thank god for that," Steel obnoxiously interrupted with a wide grin. "Best damn pizza I've had in ages! Can't wait to steal some extra slices and hoard them in our room's mini fridge."
"I am willing to bet you're the origin of the phrase 'sticky fingers'," Baxter muttered in a deadpanned voice. "You have such an urge to steal something that you have to make up an excuse to do so."
Steel flipped him the bird, but his smile was good-natured.
Others joined in on the jesting, ending it all with some muttered, but enthusiastic 'thank yous' directed at Alastor.
"Well, now," Alastor grinned. "I can't take all the credit for this one, for once." He unabashedly curled his fingers through Charlie's, and raised their joined hands for emphasis. "Our wonderful hotel owner did as much of the work as I did. Surely she deserves credit as well."
Smiling, but also wiggling a little with embarrassment, Charlie placed a kiss on Alastor's knuckles as a silent thank you of her own, but didn't say or do much else as she lowered their hands.
Everyone else followed up Alastor's words by adding in some extra compliments about how great it tasted and how they were all going to go for seconds. They didn't directly compliment Charlie the way they did with Alastor, and for that she was a little grateful. It had been a long time since she'd taken a compliment from so many people at once. She didn't know how she'd handle it. Alastor making sure they at least recognized their joint effort was enough for her in this instance.
She gave his hand a final squeeze before letting it go. "Thank you," she said. "Uh, by the way…" She let her voice drop a little, so as not to bring too much attention to themselves. "Are you okay?" It was honestly a redundant question now that his smile seemed as normal as ever, but she still felt compelled to at least ask.
Before taking another bite of the pizza, he arched a brow at her. "I am, yes. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, really. You just…seemed a little tired earlier."
Something flashed in his expression. It almost looked like surprise and maybe curiosity, but it was gone in a blink, as if she'd only imagined it.
"I'm quite fine," he responded smoothly. There was a pause. "But thank you for asking." He left it at that to continue eating.
Interesting enough, dinner for the rest of that night was uneventful. Once again, Charlie was grateful for that.
Husk wasn't normally a liar, so when he said that everyone in the Hotel knew they were dating, Charlie believed him. And even if some of them hadn't known, watching Alastor holding up their entangled hands was obviously a dead giveaway. Charlie expected teasing comments and jeering to result from it. Everyone here loved gossip.
But for some reason, it never came. They all carried on their own conversations as if it were just any other normal evening.
Everyone had their own little cliques, in a way.
Steel, Sanderson, and sometimes Baxter often swapped stories with each other. Husk and Niffty often sat in companionable silence, only occasionally asking each other how their workday went. And sometimes, when feeling extra social, everyone would join in on each other's conversations as a whole. There were only two differences tonight.
One of them was that Alastor was far more talkative than usual, especially with Husk, Niffty, and sometimes Steel throughout this evening. Usually, Alastor was often calm at mealtimes, enjoying the food while observing everyone's conversations from a distant, only giving his two cents every so often. Tonight, he seemed more social.
And two, Angel Dust and Vaggie hadn't shown up for dinner.
Charlie sighed heavily.
"Everything alright, dearest," Alastor asked her, cutting off his own conversation with Niffty. "You haven't touched your food yet."
"Oh," she said, looking down at the uneaten pizza on her plate. "Right, yeah. I'm fine. Just wondering where Vaggie and Angel are."
Once again, an odd expression came over his face, this one completely unreadable to Charlie. "Ah, I see. Well, if memory serves, this is one of Angel Dust's work nights. And I did manage to find Vaggie, but she didn't seem to want to join. However, I made sure she knew she had the option." He smiled thinly, placed a kiss against her hair, and resumed his and Niffty's conversation as if nothing had interrupted it.
As Charlie took a bite of her pizza, she stared at the empty couch she'd saved for Vaggie and Angel. Angel's situation made sense, obviously, but she briefly wondered if she should attempt to find Vaggie, to at least make sure nothing was wrong. Yet, a couple things stopped her.
Everyone in the Hotel seemed to have a silent agreement that not everyone would share meals all the time. So, everyone would always communicate to each other when food was ready – especially if Alastor was cooking – and leave it at that, never forcing anyone to join if they didn't want to.
Also, it was extremely doubtful that Vaggie would even want to see her. Vaggie wasn't a gossiper, but given her defensive nature, she always listened in on gossip for any foul play.
Charlie knew that Vaggie knew about her new relationship with Alastor. And there was no way that she would be able to comfort Vaggie in any way shape or form with this kind of situation.
Charlie swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, trying not to feel guilty. She knew she'd done nothing wrong. After all, you can't help it if you fall in love with someone, whoever they may be. But she couldn't imagine what must be going through Vaggie's mind, how horribly this must be effecting her.
Charlie sat up a little straighter, trying to enjoy the wonderful pizza and the friendly atmosphere, hoping that Vaggie would eventually join them. However, Charlie was no fool when it came to emotions. Despite her hopes, she knew how reclusive Vaggie could be, and that she might not see for a long time. Not just tonight.
But that was okay. Hopefully, in time, she'd be able to talk to Vaggie to clear the air between them.
"That pizza was delicious," Charlie commented as they walked to her room. "How did you get the crust like that? It was almost like, um…what's the word? Puff pastry, I think it's called?"
"That might've been as a result of my magic," Alastor said. "I had to speed up the yeast process with so little time." He shrugged slightly. "I don't enjoy using my magic when food is involved. Cooking results tend to be altered when not done completely by hand."
"Still, it was amazing! Normally no one likes pizza crust, but we all devoured it."
He grinned devilishly at her. "Oh, are you sure it was just the crust?" He brought their intertwined hands to his mouth to place a kiss against their fingers. "I seem to recall the sauce having its own charm."
"Oh my god," she muttered as she desperately tried to cover the blush on her face with her free hand. He did not just flirt with her. He did not just flirt with her using cooking words!
He chuckled and briefly bent down to place another kiss on one of her reddened cheeks as they came to a stop in front of her door.
"Well," she sighed. "This is me."
"Indeed."
Charlie glanced down at their hands, both of which in no hurry to let go of each other. "You know," she began hesitantly. "If…if you want, you can…spend the night?"
He blinked curiously. "In your room?"
She nodded.
A couple days ago, Charlie had spent two nights in a row in Alastor's room. It was mostly to get as much rest as possible after passing out from her powers, but also because she enjoyed being that close with him. It was a cozy intimacy that she'd been craving since then. She was hoping he'd say yes, but also wouldn't be disappointed if he said otherwise. She knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't be comfortable with it yet.
Then, he smiled softly at her. "I think that would be nice."
"Oh," Charlie said, smiling brightly. "Great! Right! Um." She let go of his hand to open her door, and stepped aside to let him through. "Come right on in."
Alastor opened his mouth to reply 'lady's first', but then he calmly shut it and walked on. Though his gentlemanly manners his mother had raised him to have constantly came about whenever he was around Charlie, in this instance he could relent a little. Not only did he remind himself that he mainly wanted Charlie to have the leading role in their relationship, this bedroom belonged to her. If she wanted him to enter first, then he'd respect her request.
His mother would be proud of…
Well…She obviously wouldn't be proud of most of the things he'd done both in life and afterlife. In fact, she would be horrified by all of it. But falling in love with someone as kind and as charming as Charlie…
Yes. His mother would definitely be proud of him. At least in that regard.
He quieted his pensive mind at once as he walked inside, clearing his throat as he felt it get tighter, as well as to try and ignore the stinging in his eyes.
Charlie's room was simplistic, but also with hints of regality throughout. It had all the essentials of any hotel room, as well as other amenities.
Off to one side was a queen-sized bed over an intricately woven rug. Not too far from that was a stand that held a small TV, her laptop, and some haphazardly-stacked DVDs. On the other side of the room was an en suite, a balcony, and a large stained glass window overlooking the city.
Alastor walked towards the window curiously.
To some, most stained glass art could be considered pompous and posh due to all the supplies and tediousness needed for such a delicate craft. However, Charlie's window held shades of pink, yellow, black, grey, all with seemingly no pattern. There was no rhyme or reason to it, it didn't have any discernible details. It was just an elegant yet playful mesh of colors.
Alastor grinned at, thinking that it seemed to suit Charlie.
Charlie was on the other side of the room, going through one of her closets, when she realized something. "I…don't think I have any pajamas that'll fit you," she told him, making him turn to face her. "You might have to go back to your room to get them."
He waved dismissively. "I don't own nightwear. I'll just take off my coat and boots, as always." And he did just that, toeing off his boots and removing his fraying-at-the-edges dress coat, until he was only clad in his black socks, his red pants, and his red dress shirt and bow tie. "Anyplace in particular you want me to set my things," he asked as he used his arms to neatly fold his coat.
Charlie looked at him, definitely not meaning to ogle him or anything. It just fascinated her that he had actually removed some of his layers in such a relaxed fashion. He hadn't even done that when she'd spent those nights in his room. She shook her head a little to clear her thoughts in order to respond to his question. "Anywhere is fine," she responded, taking a set of pajamas out of her closet for herself. She looked inside the closet. "Actually, you can set all of it in here, if you want."
He nodded once, and walked over to her. She stepped aside a little to give him room. Then, she tilted her head as she observed him. He was calmly hanging his coat on a hook and figuring out where to put his shoes, all of this done in silence.
Frowning slightly, Charlie slowly leaned sideways, until the side of her face was gently pressed against his arm. As soon as he felt this, he flinched, his smile freezing up for the briefest of moments, before he relaxed. He wound his arm around Charlie's back, pressing more of her against him.
"You're not saying much," she carefully pointed out. "If…you're not comfortable with this, we can always come back to it. Do it later."
He chuckled, squeezing her even closer. "My dearest, I've already shared a bed with you, two days in a row even. While it's true that we're not in my room this time, that doesn't make me any less comfortable." He paused. "I can understand why you would think so. But I'm simply taking it all in, taking my time, and thoroughly enjoying your company. Also, I'm not sure what the proper etiquette of being in your lover's bedroom is, and I don't wish to overstep."
Charlie chuckled, shaking her head against his arm. "You have the same habit I do."
Alastor raised a brow. "Which is…?"
She shook her head again with a gentle smile. "Never mind." She stepped back. As she yawned, she felt his arm around her waist slacken before dropping. This made her smile even more. Up until now, any time she'd pull back from one of his touches, whatever the reason might be, he'd instantly let go. She knew he did this for two reasons. One, to ensure he wasn't crossing a line. And two, because he also didn't know quite how to respond to it. The fact that his arm lingered around her waist for a few extra seconds told her that he didn't want to let go, that he was becoming more comfortable with that kind of contact, but also wanting to respect her boundaries by taking his arm away as she stepped back.
She took his hand, gave it a squeeze, and nodded to the bed. "Why don't you go lie down while I get changed?"
He turned his head sharply in the direction of her bed, as if only now realizing that that was where they would be sleeping tonight. Then, he straightened up a little.
"I…Yes, quite. Obviously." He paused to step closer to her and stroke his fingers against her jaw with that soft smile. "I shall see you in a moment then, my dearest. When you're finished, that is."
Charlie placed her hand over his, briefly leaning into his touch, and her smile widened when his eyes seemed to light up at that. He always seemed to enjoy touching her face, given how many times he's done so. She didn't realize until now just how much she liked it, the sense of familiarity and comfort behind it. Also, she was happy that Alastor was enjoying himself. Romantic touches were daunting to Alastor, so Charlie was more than happy to indulge him.
But she needed to reluctantly pull away to go get changed, and also to allow Alastor to adjust to being in a room that wasn't his own.
She closed the bathroom door behind her. After removing her clothes, she took a quick shower. Just as she was slipping her nightgown on, she heard a knock.
"I'll be out in a sec, Al," she said as she adjusted herself.
"That actually was not me," she heard his muffle voice reply.
Eyebrows scrunching, she walked out of her bathroom to see Alastor sitting cross-legged on the bed, his back against the headboard. He started shifting his position to get up. "If you still need a few minutes, I can answer that," he said, pointing to her bedroom door.
She shook her head as she walked towards it. "No, that's fine. You look comfortable. I'll get it."
Charlie didn't know who to expect when she opened her door. It was fairly late, and everyone would probably be in bed already. She definitely didn't expect Angel Dust to be waiting out in the hallway. Normally, he worked until well after midnight. This was early for him.
She gave him a wide smile. "Hey, Angel! We didn't see you at dinner. But there's still…plenty…of…" Charlie trailed off.
Angel was silently leaning against the wall, his shoulders hunched, and not meeting her gaze. He was scowling harshly and tiredly at the floor of the hallway. Angel was meticulous about his appearance, so it was abnormal to see bags under his eyes. And his arms were crossed, with something white clenched in one of his fists.
Charlie frowned. "Angel, what-"
"Saw Vaggie on my way back in." Without warning, he shoved what he had in his hand in her face. It was a crumpled piece of paper. "Special fucking delivery," he spat under his breath.
Charlie gingerly took the paper from Angel, and she momentarily watched as his hand listlessly dropped away. She started unraveling the paper ball, until she could see words written in all too familiar handwriting.
Her hand flew to her face as she felt a silent gasp painfully clenching her throat.
Angel glanced at her, and seeing her expression seemed to break him. He instantly crossed his arms tighter around his chest as he quickly walked away. "Not like it matters anyway," he muttered. "People come and go all the damn time. And this place is supposed to be temporary anyway, right? Not like anybody's supposed to stay here forever."
Charlie tore her eyes away from the paper to pinch the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the tears. "A-Angel-"
"So fuck it! It is what it is!" He walked out of sight, his strained voice echoing off the walls.
With the hand that held the paper, she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead as a sob escaped her. Then, she neatly folded the paper, put in her pocket, and reentered her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, leaned her back against it, and slid to the floor. She buried her face in her palms as tears slid down her cheeks.
She vaguely heard the rustling of bed sheets and then feet padding across the wooden floor towards her. She only responded when she heard his tentative voice. "Charlie?"
She looked up at Alastor to see the creases between his brows, his telltale sign that he was concerned.
She sniffled, and opened her mouth after she failed to draw in air through her nose. "V…" She paused as another sob escaped her. "Vaggie left."
Interestingly, his brows relaxed. But his smile remained the same, small and uncertain. He walked closer to her and held out his hand. She shook her head, not taking it. He tilted his head slightly. Then, he bent down and abruptly scooped her into his arms.
"As nice as your floor is, my dear, hardwood is hardly comfortable," he remarked calmly as he carried her to her bed.
He placed Charlie onto the mattress, and sat beside her. He brought the comforter around her, and himself in turn, as she leaned herself against him. She buried her face in the comforter, and cried.
Alastor wasn't quite sure what to do, other than knowing that she needed to let it all out. So, he sat there with her, his one arm wrapped around her as his hand rubbed her back in awkward strokes that he hoped were soothing.
The minutes ticked by as Charlie let out her anguish, until her sobs eventually ebbed and the only thing left from her was shallow, exhausted breathing. His ever-present smile was shaky as he bent his head slightly to whisper in her ear. "My dearest darling Charlie," he murmured. "Talk to me."
"I'm gonna miss her," she said, her strained voice muffled against the comforter. "So much."
"Did she tell you in that note where she was going?"
Charlie nodded once.
He tilted his head, a little confused. "Then you can visit her any time."
"I know. But…We haven't been apart for years. And now suddenly…She's gone." Another sob, a silent one, shook her shoulders once. "I mean, yeah, I can v-visit her, but…God, why would she wanna be visited by me?"
She lifted her head up. Alastor couldn't help but wince at seeing how wet and red and irritated her face was. He clicked his fingers, making his coat appear in his hand and using that to brush away the tears on her face. Charlie was stoic for the most part, not reacting to him doing that. In fact, she wore more of a confused look than anything. With her face dried, he let his coat fade away to rejoin his shoes in the closet.
"And…Rosie's Emporium," she mused. "Why there? From what I've heard, Rosie is pretty…overbearing." Normally, in any other situation, Alastor would've chuckled or snorted at Charlie's attempt at choosing the most polite word to use. But not now. "I didn't think Vaggie would be friends with her, let alone stand someone like that."
"That's because she isn't friends with her," he replied smoothly with a shrug. "I suggested Rosie to her."
Charlie snapped her gaze to him in astonishment. "Really?...You? But…You don't even like her."
"Why, that's not true at all. Rosie and I have shared a sort of camaraderie for many decades now-"
Charlie shook her head. "No, I mean you and Vaggie. You two have hated each other since day one."
Alastor laughed at that. "Well, now. Yes, it is quite obvious that Vaggie would rather see me rot…especially in light of certain circumstances. But I don't hate her."
Charlie raised a brow at him. "You don't?"
"Of course not," he confirmed. "I definitely don't hold her in high regard, not one little bit. But I do hold…some respect for her, for lack of a better word. There aren't too many miserable souls down here who dare to actively insult me as if it were part of one's daily routine."
To Alastor's relief, that garnered a light snort from Charlie, albeit an empty one.
She cleared her throat a little. "So, uh," she began. "Why did you help her?"
"She needed to make sure she had a place to stay so that she could inform you."
Charlie blinked. "Th-that's your reason," she breathed.
"Yes," he replied firmly. He cupped the side of her face. "I respect Vaggie, but I'm not fond of her in the slightest. However, you don't share that same opinion. You still care for her." He paused, his smile almost forming into a grimace. "I…still don't quite know what to do when you're like this. And I knew that once she left you'd be nearly inconsolable. I was hoping that you knowing where she was would…lighten things on your end. Though, I can see that is not the case."
Charlie gave him a small watery smile. "It…I…I don't really know what to think. I wish that Vaggie hadn't felt the need to leave. God, why did she-" She cut herself off to shake her head. "No, I know why. That's not what I'm getting at. I…I just…wish she hadn't, and that we coulda somehow worked this out. But…"
She sniffled and another sob escaped her. "But what would there be to work out," she whispered, staring at nothing in particular.
Alastor opened his mouth, but no sound came out. So, he continued to stroke her back, first in long lines, then in small circles. Charlie's body was still pressed against his side, and she pressed against him even more when she felt the movements of his hand.
"Why am I always crying around you," she asked vaguely, not really seeking an answer.
Alastor mustered a chuckle. "At least it's not because of me. I take comfort in that."
Charlie nodded. "Speaking of comfort." She awkwardly strained her hand behind herself to touch Alastor's, where it halted against her back at her sudden touch. She simply stroked over his knuckles once. "This is nice," she said as she took her hand away. "This is enough. Comfort-wise, I mean."
She didn't see his harsh scowl, but she could almost hear it in his voice. "Not to me, it's not," he muttered.
Charlie didn't respond to that, but she was glad when he resumed his stroking, seemingly enjoying this gesture just as much as she was even though he didn't think it was enough for some reason.
"Thank you," she murmured. "For…making sure that Vaggie had somewhere safe to go."
Alastor didn't respond to that, because he really don't know how. He only tightened his grip around her waist. After a few more minutes, and after Charlie's breathing had evened out into something sleepy, he slid their bodies until they were both lying down.
This note is mostly for Charlie, but I also want Angel Dust to read it.
I don't even know where to fucking begin. But, hey, you wanted my honesty.
These last few weeks since we broke up have been so fucking painful. Aside from the fact that I haven't wanted to talk to or see anyone (Okay fine. You're the exception Angel) I also haven't wanted to see you, Charlie. It's just a constant reminder of…God, I don't know. And now you're dating that shitlord!
But…Do whatever you want.
That's one of the reasons why I will always love you. You always did whatever you thought was right, no matter how many naysayers got in your face. And you thought me staying in the Hotel would be right. Why the fuck can't I fault you for that?
Do what you need to. Live your life however you need to. I couldn't live with myself if I stood in the way of it all.
I love you so much. And looking back on it…Did I ever even say that to your face?! Jesus, I'm
Anyway, I've got a place to stay. Rosie's Emporium. I wonder what happened to her coworker Franklin. Kinda scared to find out, given how eerie Rosie always seemed to me. And I'm also putting my cell phone number at the bottom, in case you need it, even though you already have it and all that crap.
But seriously, call that number and I'll come running. Especially if the Radio De - Alastor ever gets out of hand. Seriously. He fucks up in any way… Well, he already knows.
And Angel. Thanks. I didn't know I needed another friend.
Stay safe. Both of you.
Oh, one last thing.
I hope your dream works.
* Vaggie's note at the end didn't really come out the way I wanted it to. I also have this story posted on AO3 under the same author name if you wanted to see how I wanted the note to actually look. I needed to use certain HTML's that this website doesn't support. Once again, thank you all for your support so far.