"I... W-wooahhh-ho-ho-ho-hooooo..." Charlie said somewhat oddly. "I, um-"
Vaggie cut her off frantically, "Listen, I just- I dont feel any less of what I have always felt for you, you're the light of my life, my world, my reason for living, I j-just... Emily, she- we have a lot of things in common, but, she's also... she reminds me of you, a lot, and she's... she's really pretty, but, I totally understand, i-if that's not something you're open to. That is, like, I love you so much, and it's not like I need two people to be satisfied. You do everything I could ever need, e-emotionally and... otherwise, a-and you're beautiful, just, fucking stunning, and sweet, and generous, and gentle, a-and just... perfect, God, fuck, b-but-"
Vaggie was cut off as Charlie grabbed her, squishing both of her cheeks and turning her face to look into hers. "Vaggie!"
The woman looked at her partner in a way that almost made it look like she felt guilty. "... Mm?"
"I love you." Charlie said, methodically, almost as if she was spelling it out. Vaggie nodded as much as her current position could allow.
"Mm-hm?" She mumbled through squished cheeks.
"You are perfect to me as well, in every way. You're kind, you look out for me, support me... And, do I have to mention," Charlie said, biting her lip with a teasing grin, "sexy as fuckkk." She let out a little groan. Vaggie had to chuckle.
Charlie smiled softly, then sighed, moving her hands away from her girlfriends face to her shoulders. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong. You've found yourself..." Charlie tilted her head back and fourth as if trying to think of a way to phrase it. "Catching feelings for Emily. But, that doesn't mean you love me less, of course. Just that... you think you could love her too?"
Vaggie blushed. "I... I think it's a bit early for that, but..." She sighed. "That's about right, yeah..."
"Well..." Charlie started, looking to the lower corner of her eye, then back to her girlfriend, "I am most definitely not against the idea... You're right. She's sweet, and she's kind... she believes in me. In us. And she is, 'pretty.'" Charlie smirked slyly at Vaggie and she blushed again. "But... I mean, it is something very new, so, I'd like to take it slow... plus, it's not like she's in the best place in the world right now..." Charlie winced a little, as Vaggie nodded in agreement. "But. Maybe... the two of us, together, can ask her out to dinner somewhere before our re-opening?" Charlie blushed a little, with a small smile.
"Like... a date?" Vaggie asked tentatively, quirking a brow.
"Yeah!" Charlie grinned. "I- I mean, if you're cool with that."
"Yeah!" Vaggie said, with an uncharacteristic amount of enthusiasm. Charlie gave her a coy smile.
"Hush," Vaggie said, face dusted in gold.
"You're adorable, my love," Charlie oozed, in a way that was both earnestly adoring and teasing, going into Vaggie's neck and peppering it with kisses. Vaggie laughed, airily.
"Thanks, sweetie," she gasped as Charlie nipped her neck. "W-woah, down girl!" Vaggie gently pushed her off, laughing.
"Mmmm, but you're sooo hard to resistttt," Charlie moaned, and Vaggie pecked her cheek.
"We've got people waiting on us, darling," she whispered in her ear. "Besides." She pinched Charlie gently on the hip causing the girl to let out a soft sigh. "I'd prefer to be able to... take my time with you."
Charlie laughed. "And here I was thinking this hole time I was the top." Vaggie laughed at her
"Charlie, stop!" She groaned, playfully. But she just continued.
"Noooooo, but I kinda like ittttt... it suits you." She bit her lip.
"Keep it in your pants, my princess." Vaggie stood up, moving toward the door, but not without moving her hips teasingly. "I think you can stand to wait a few hours." She winked. "I promise I'll make it up to you." Charlie giggled.
"Mmm, well, I do like the sound of that."
"HEY, WHEN ARE YA GALS GONNA STOP FUCKIN' WITH EACHOTHER AND HELP US DECIDE WHAT TO EAT?" A voice, that of which was Angel dusts, shouted through the door. Vaggie blanched and Charlie squealed.
"BWAAAA, ANGEL! HOW MUCH OF THAT DID YOU HERE?" Charlie screamed.
"I GOT NO IDEA WHAT MUSHY SHIT YOU TWO WHERE TALKIN ABOUT, BUT I GOTTA SAY, I AM NOT SURPRISED CHARLIE IS THE TOP. VAGGIE, YOU GOT POWER-BOTTOM WRITTEN ALL OVER YA!"
"ANGEL, I SWEAR TO GOD FUCK OFF!" Vaggie said, right on the edge of bursting out the door and wripping the spider demons scrawny limbs off.
"FINE. BUT YOU TWO BETTER GET DOWN HERE! WE'RE THINKING ITALIAN!"
Charlie squealed: "WHY ARE WE STILL YELLING!?"
"Hi, guys!" A surprising sight, a cheery Emily now plopped where Charlie had been sitting, hanging with the rest of the hotel guests and staff, gently petting a sleepy Keekee who was curled up comfy on her thighs.
"I- Hi, Emmy!" Charlie waved at her, smiling a tad awkwardly, and a little pink in the cheeks. Well, pinker than usual, anyway. "You, uh, feeling better?"
"Mhm!" the angel beamed. "I was just talking with Angel and Husk! They're delightful!"
Angel, who was in the process of reassuming his seat on one of the two couches next to Husk, chuckled. "Awwwe, thank ya, toots!" Vaggie gave both of them an incredulous look, to which Angel dust quickly took note and answered: "What's the matter, Vag? Surprised we're both capable of bein' moderately decent people?"
"A little," she deadpanned with a glare. Less at the quip, but more at the fact his shortening of her name decided to end in a soft 'G'. Angel laughed. Husk shrugged.
"I dunno. She's easy to talk to," he said.
Vaggie shook her head in a vain attempt to brush off the bizzarety from the scenario, while Charlie just smiled.
"Awe! I'm so glad you three are getting along!" She cheered, as she moved over to the couch to take a seat, patting the one next to her for Vaggie to join her. The other woman rolled her eyes, but smiled, before sitting down with her. "So, Italian, huh?"
Charlie turned to Emily. "You ever had Italian before, Emily?"
"Hmm... At least once, I think... But that must've beeeeeennnnn... Gosh, at least a couple centuries ago. I'm sure it's changed a lot." Emily smiled. "I remember it being nice."
"How dare you," Angel sneered with hammed up indignation he wasn't too poorly practiced at. It was effective enough to cause Emily to let out a fearful little meep. "I'll have you know, Italian food is one of the defining fucking cuisines of modern fucking culture throughout the entire fucking world."
"O-Okay, I'm sorry for not eating Italian, please don't hurt me..." Emily squeaked out, cowering back in her chair.
"Angel-!" Vaggie started to scold before being cut off by the aforementioned spider.
"Ah-ah-ah!" He silenced. "I ain't gonna hurt you. But I am gonna educate you."
"Wow, Angel," Charlie said with a slight chuckle. "I had... no idea you were so passionate about food."
"I'm not passionate about food," he said, "I'm passionate about Italian food."
Emily gave him a silly little bow from her chair. "I surrender to your teachings, resident Italian Expert."
"Ugh..." Emily groaned, a hand on her stomach as she let out a tiny hiccup, experiencing a feeling she hadn't before. "I feel, like..." She waved her other hand in the air trying to catch a word, "like... like, what's in me wants to be... out of me."
"That's called nauseous, hun." Vaggie said, flatly. "Something you wouldn't be feeling if Angel hadn't coerced you into eating three platters full of cheese and pasta in a single sitting."
"Nah, nah, don't pin this on me," Angel said, "I merely picked out an appropriate selection to expand her knowledge. I didn't fucking tell her to pound down all three plates!"
"Two and a-" Emily paused, as she fought off something that might have been a burp, or might have been... well, the inside that wanted to come out. "Two and, like, three-quarters... I started feeling the inside-outy... the 'nauseous'... about then." This time, she actually burped, but it was weird, and wet, and she felt a liquid come up and burn her throat.
"Ah-!" she gasped, "Ow! What was that!? That hurt?"
"You okay, Em?" Charlie said, giving her a soft and concerned look.
"Some weird liquid came up and burnt my throat! A- and now my chest hurts..." Emily put her hand to the mentioned spot of pain.
"That's called, 'heartburn,' kid. Welcome to hell." Husk said dryly.
"I hate it..." Emily said miserably, a thumb rubbing on her chest in a fruitless attempt to soothe it.
"You're supposed to," Husk replied.
"But," Vaggie said, giving her a gentle smile. "That's another thing we have medication for."
"Vaggie, you're very sweet," Emily smiled at her in an earnest way that made the other angel's heart flutter, "but if I take another pill right now, I'm very sure the insides will be outsides..."
"And that," Charlie said with sympathy, "Is called, 'puking...' Imma go get you those meds, these ones aren't pills, if that's something that bothers you. You chew 'em! They kinda taste like those chalkie candies they give you in grade school when you do a good job."
"I've never had one of those, but I trust your intuition!" Emily said brightly. Charlie laughed back at her, and Vaggie could have sworn she saw a soft reddening in her girlfriend's face.
Emily was busy getting ready for bed. The burning hellfire in her throat had subsided after a couple of the chalky tablets Charlie had given her had their time to do their work, and after Charlie had to snatch them away from her as she reached for another one...
They tasted good.
Emily was just about ready to turn of her light before she heard a soft rapping at her door.
"Who is it?" she sang, before the question devolved into a high pitched yawn.
"It's Charlie! Also Vaggie. We, um, wanted to talk about something with you real quick, if... that's okay?" The muffled voice spoke from beyond the door. Charlie's usual cheer was far from absent, but there was a tad bit of trepidation Emily was able to pick up in her voice.
"Y-yeah? Of course, come in." Emily smiled, quirking an eyebrow as the other two girls opened the door, Charlie waving somewhat awkwardly.
"H-hi, Em! So, um, the two of us where hoping toooo, uhhhh... propose something to you... if you're interested," Charlie said, before quickly reassuring, "Which you dont have to be! But, if you'd like to-"
"Babe," Vaggie cut in, "deep breathes, take your time."
Charlie took in a couple deep breathes, as Emily giggled a little under her own, covering her mouth politely.
"We were wondering..." Charlie started before fiddling with her hands. Vaggie gently guided her two hands apart, taking one of them into her own and squeezing it gently. "We were wondering if you would like to... I dunno, go out for dinner somewhere. A-and not, just, like, out for dinner, like... a d-date... with the two of us... and you... the three of us."
"Baby?" Further words were unneeded Vaggie gave Charlie a reassuring look for her to try and calm herself. Charlie let out a deep exhale.
"It was my idea," Vaggie said, softly, "I... recently... with your time here, Emily... I've kinda... started to fall for you..."
Neither of the woman had apparently stopped to notice that the freckled angel across from them had blanched at least three shades of grey lighter, and her already large eyes had made the decision to eat an additional couple inches of her face as they widened in shock.
"Uh- um..." Charlie stuttered.
"Are you... okay, Emily?" Vaggie said with a nervous caution.
Emily shook her head quickly to regain her bearings. "I- I... no, y-yeah, I mean... yes." She smiled at the other two women nervously, before swallowing. "I'm okay. M-more than that, I think. I... I'm just... taken aback, a bit. I never would have guessed."
Vaggie chuckled, nervously, scratching the collar of her button up. "Y-yeah? I didn't think I was being particularly... subtle..."
Emily gave a breathy chuckle that almost had a tinge of sadness sinked into it. "Mmm, maybe you weren't. But, I'm not really used to people... well, no, I suppose I've had a few people ask me out... Winners, mostly, who I had to show around heaven... mostly men. Lots of men." She cringed a little. "Ugh, I always hated having to let them down... poor guys." She sighed. "But, women... only very rarely have ever confessed to me, even in the thousands of winners I've met... and they were never really my type. Mmm, and then I got just a handful of people somewhere in between..." She sighed, staring off as if daydreaming of old memories. She snapped to and looked at the two women in front of her mildly pained in anticipation before letting out a giggle. "Oh! You poor things, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get on complaining about my... well... hypothetical, I suppose, love life..." she sighed. Then looked at the two women with misty eyes. "I... I don't want to impose on your twos' relationship, not at all, but... if... if you're really interested... I'd love to go on a date with you two."
Charlie spat out a long, winding breath she hadn't quite registered she was holding in, and Vaggie let out her own -though less dramatic- sigh of relief. Charlie still trying to regain the air in her lungs to stave passing out, Vaggie spoke up.
"We were thinking doing dinner tomorrow."
Emily nodded, eagerly. "I would love that... thank you so much."
"Of course, Emily... Thank you for accepting." Vaggie gave the girl a warm smile, and Emily returned it.
"Oh! And also," Charlie spoke, "I was thinking of taking you out shopping tomorrow, so we can pick you out some new clothes. Of course, I mean, you can keep my old clothes if you want to, but," she chuckled, "It might be nice for you not to spend the rest of your existence in the same pair of sweatpants."
Emily nodded with a smile. "I would very much like to wear something other than sweatpants, yes." Emily pinched the fabric of said pants that was resting on her hip. "Though, this is my first time wearing anything other than that old dress... they are very comfy, at the very least."
"Right?!" Charlie sighed. "Ugh, I'd wear them all the time if I didn't look so good in slacks..."
Vaggie nodded, jokingly solemn. "It's true, babe, you do look good in slacks."
Emily laughed at the couple in front of her. The beautiful couple of beautiful, inspiring women who she still hadn't really fully processed she was going on a date with tomorrow. "You two are so cute. But," she said, brushing a tear from her eye after laughing so hard, "I should really be going to bed... it's weird, I feel... tired, I guess... yeah, tired. My whole body just feels heavier..."
Charlie laughed, still a little awkward from the conversation she just mustered to have. "Thems is how being tired feels!" She said cheesily, before clearing her throat and chuckling. Vaggie rolled her eyes at her.
"Forgive her, Emily. She's just flustered." Vaggie said, giving her partner a sly side-eye. Emily gave a smirk of her own, but nodded understandingly. "Besides, she hasn't had a full night's sleep in a while. So," Vaggie continued as she gently wrapped a guiding arm around her girlfriend's waist, "let's get you to bed, little lady."
"I'm-" Charlie started, before yawning loudly. "... Mmf, okay, fair point..." Charlie looked back over her shoulder and smiled at Emily. "Goodnight, Em. See you in the morning."
Emily smiled wistfully. "Goodnight, Charlie. Goodnight, Vaggie."
Vaggie smiled at Emily over her shoulder as she gently closed the door behind her. Emily waited a few seconds to make sure the two girls had left before promptly grabbing a pillow off her bed and plopping face first onto said bed, burying her face into the held pillow.
She squealed, loud and long. "Holy God in Heaven, I can't believe that just happened!" She rolled about, kicking her legs and fluttering her five functioning wings like a high-school girl. "This is the best day of my freaking LIFE!" She flopped onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, before a gentle sense of soberness settled in. She sighed. "I... I need to figure out a way to get back there..." A gentle tear trickled down her cheek. "I... I need to know if everyone's safe..." rolled onto her side, and hugged her pillow. "How can I be so happy about one thing and... so sad about something else at the same time?" with another gentle sigh, she sat up, and reached, turning her nigh-stand lamp off. "Tomorrow is another day... I need to figure something out..."