Vaggie was doing everything in her power not to absolutely lose it.
The bowtie? The locked door? It was too much for her not to mentally put puzzle pieces together even if they didn't fit. The constant chatter? The dancing? The flirting?
She knew Alastor liked to lie and harass to get a rise out of people, but she never saw him mess with others the way he constantly messed with Charlie. In fact, he often rebuffed others' attentions altogether, choosing instead to put all his focus onto Charlie, and infuriatingly, she obliged everytime.
Whatever he was plotting, it just could not be good, for her relationship or for the hotel. Whether his intentions were purely emotional, or a means to some selfish end of his, it did not spell a happy ending for the gray angel.
She wanted him gone. Out of her life and out of Charlie's. He was bad news, and worse every day he continued to sway Charlie.
After she had caught them locked together in their office, Vaggie did not dare accuse Charlie of anything. She still trusted her, after all. And she didn't think their relationship could take anymore strain, especially at this crucial juncture for the hotel.
Calmly, Vaggie had asked what the two had talked about that morning and Charlie responded, frazzled, all they had discussed. She wanted to trust so desperately that that really was all that was said and done. She certainly couldn't question the Radio Demon about it, knowing that whatever he had to say would just piss her off more. So she had to take what she could get.
She wasn't much of a drinker, especially having opposed alcohol in the hotel in the first place. But after several days passed where Charlie would disappear to discuss something private with the deer demon, Vaggie was in serious need of some hard liquor.
She plopped herself at Husker's bar, where Angel was perched in his typical seat. He was complaining about the double shifts he was pulling at the studio with Valentino, figuring that this was his "punishment" or just the beginnings of one. His back ached and he (not so) coyly asked Husk for a massage.
"Not on your life," the bartender growled.
Angel turned at her newfound presence and smiled. "Hey toots, haven't seen your sour face 'round these parts lately. How goes it?"
"Give me something strong," she commanded in response.
"That good, huh?" Angel chuckled while Husk poured her a drink.
She threw back her drink in a single gulp and asked for another. Husk raised an eyebrow and subtly urged her to talk.
"How do you stand that red bastard?" Vaggie asked, finally speaking from her haunched position at the bar.
"Who? The boss?" Husk began. "I don't have much of a choice. But it was either this–" he indicated his current situation, "-or the void." He shrugged, as if he was long over thinking about it.
"What'd Smiles do this time? Buddy up to Char again?" Angel chimed in.
Vaggie's lone eye shone on him. "He's always creeping around Charlie and doing… Who knows what! It's driving me insane not knowing what he might do to her. Or what he's up to."
Husker and Angel exchanged glances. "Yeaaah, he's certainly… different, but I doubt he'd do anything to hurt Char. He's helped her with the hotel a lot!"
Vaggie stared at Angel incredulously. "You're defending him?"
The spider demon shrugged. "I'm just sayin', you didn't see him the night of the party, swooping in like some white knight to face off against Val with her. I doubt he would do that for just anybody."
Vaggie deflated. "Whatever. I still don't trust him. He probably did that just to protect his investment. There's something off about him."
"You shoulda seen the way those two got down on the dancefloor! Whiskers here says it was hot hot hot–" Angel started, but Husk cut him off with a threatening glare. Not the time!
"What do you mean?" Vaggie's voice rose, reinvigorated by the new information. "Husk, dammit, what did you see?"
The cat demon put his paws up in defense. "Don't drag me into this!" he spat. "I saw them on the dancefloor, and that's it."
"Yeah, but it was hot?" she stared daggers at the two and downed her second glass. "How hot was it, Husk!" The former exorcist pushed herself from her seat and stomped away, her mouth bitter with anger and jealousy. She needed to go fight something.
"Way to go, kid…" grumbled the bartender.
"Don't look at me," said Angel, a little guiltily.
…
It was move-in day at the Hazbin Hotel and Charlie was a bouncing ball of energy. She sprinted back and forth across the lobby and up the stairs. She showed their five (5!) brand new guests that responded to the invitations, to their rooms and gave each a welcome basket of various fruits and pamphlets about their brand new journey.
Charlie was up late the night before in her office, mocking up the final touches for the welcoming party. A tour of the facilities, a speech, some ice-breaker activities. She was not to be disturbed that whole evening and no one could break her strict concentration. This had to go well… even better than the opening ceremony!
Alastor had stopped by at least once to tell Charlie she was taking it too seriously. "It's a move-in day, not a wedding." The demoness's blank stare was enough to send the Radio Demon on his way.
When she awoke the next morning, face flat on her desk, a familiar coat was slung over her shoulders. She was trying not to work herself up about it as she folded it neatly and placed it on her companion's desk. She held a hand to her heart, touched by Alastor's capabilities to be a decent person. If he wanted to, he could easily be redeemed, she thought. She mentally reminded herself to thank him for that later. But there was no time for that now, there were sinners to save!
After their belongings were brought into each of their rooms, Charlie had them gather in the lobby for the meet-and-greet.
"Welcome!" she exclaimed to their mix of perplexed, dour, and excited faces. "Shawshank, Ama, Pete, Sylvie, and Tai, to our humble Hazbin Hotel!" She outstretched her hands to the minimally decorated entrance, complete with streamers, banners, and lights. There was polite applause. One by one Charlie introduced the hotel staff, each offering half-hearted 'hellos', 'welcomes', and 'what are you looking ats.'
"Last, but certainly not least, we arrive at Alastor, our facilities manager! Some of you may know him as the Radio Demon, but I assure you there is nothing to be scared of!" Charlie added on once she saw their cowering faces.
Alastor smiled at them, all teeth. "Welcome my darling delinquents! I'll be your guide on this perilous tour. Keep up, if you know what's good for you…"
One of the brave souls raised their hand. It was Pete the Poisoner. He had features like an alligator. "Can I get something to drink?"
"You maaay… after the tour!" Charlie chimed in. "And no sharing. Thank you, Al!" She pointed them off, leaving Alastor to conduct the tour by himself while she stayed behind to prepare the rest.
"Is that a good idea, sweets?" whispered Angel.
"I have full faith in my co-manager!" She beamed proudly. And she did.
…
By the time they returned to the lobby, only one had fainted.
After that, Charlie had chosen charades as an ice-breaker. She had them act out something about themselves that they'd like to share with the group, like a hobby or activity they enjoy.
"I'll go first!" She volunteered. Charlie mimed herself singing, placing a hand against her chest, the other in the air as she pretended to belt out a powerful song.
"Taking in a long one," whispered Sylvie to mild chuckles. She had bird-like features with long pointed feathers for hair. Vaggie glared but otherwise did not move from her cross-armed position at the back of the room. She was giving Charlie some space after what happened with the cane.
"Singing!" called out Shawshank. He was a large pachyderm-esque man. With white tufts of hair and orange eyes.
"Very good, Shawshank! I love to sing! Your turn." Charlie clapped and took her seat back on the floor.
"Righto, um…" he hesitated. He mimed throwing a hook and slowly reeling it in.
"Fishin'!" yelled Angel, who couldn't resist joining in. "What?" he said to Husk who looked at him. "My family useta fish."
"That was easy," commented Shawshank, who puffed up in pride. "I used to be quite the fisherman in my day!"
Charlie was coming apart at the seams. Her new crew and her old, all joining in together for a charming, innocent game of charades…
"Alright my turn, chucklefucks! Get a load o' this…" Angel started, immediately getting on his back on the floor.
"Ah, ah Angel!" Charlie interrupted quickly, standing in front of him. "No talking in charades! Alastor! You take over." She ignored Angel's protests, pushing him off stage.
The Radio Demon quirked an eyebrow and floated to the front of the room without argument. "I've got just the thing," he mused with velvety charm.
Alastor began his charade. He contorted his face into a mask of horror, antlers bursting from his head as he elongated his body into a nightmarish and impossible shape.
"An asshole!" called out Husk.
"A douchebag!" Vaggie yelled, but neither could be heard over the terrified shrieks of the hotel guests.
…
Once the room had settled, the rest of the hotel guests acted out a variety of things. Ama, the respectable old goat acted out stealing (to calm admonishing from Charlie.) While Pete the Poisoner mimed mixing drinks. Someone guessed "bartending" which he said was "sorta right but not really." Tai, their squirrely friend, acted out disarming a bomb, which no one managed to guess except for Niffty.
There was a meal that Alastor helped prepare and after some gentle encouragement, everyone eventually dived in like one big happy Hazbin Hotel family. Oh, she could weep, Charlie could. And she did.
While sniveling into her plate, Alastor handed her a handkerchief, the one he always kept on hand these days for her outbursts of happy tears. "Not in the gumbo, my dear!"
She looked at him, filled with hope and gratefulness. "Thanks Al," she murmured, meaning several different things all at once.
The opening day came to a close and the hotel guests retired to their rooms, all in mostly one piece. Working towards redemption would start up again soon and Charlie had a huge undertaking ahead of her. Redeeming Angel and Sir Pentious was one thing but having a whole room full of sinner demons felt way more real and in tune with the future she imagined for her hotel.
The demoness skipped along the hallways. The hotel would have the day off tomorrow but the next day they would begin the first of many redemption exercises. She daydreamed about the first activity and how fun it would be to have Alastor participate.
…
Alastor quite enjoyed the latest batch of souls at the hotel. They were easy to mess with and even easier to boss around. Not a single obstinate, filthy sinner in sight! Unlike that Angel Dust… And Charlie was a riot with her activities she forced them to do. There was no way in Hell that things like charades would ever redeem anyone into Heaven.
Though as much as it delighted him to see them engage in idiotic games, he found himself pained at rooting against the side of Charlie's cheerful optimism. Maybe he could root for her more, as a treat.
Not to mention the Mark on his chest had been decidedly quiet lately! He didn't feel as tired, nor as sore and breathless. He was either getting used to its presence or it was changing, he couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was changing him?
The Radio Demon was settling in for the evening when there came a sturdy knock at the door.
"Come in~," he crooned through static.
Charlie poked her head in and smiled warmly at the deer demon. It was time for their nightly check-in. Alastor would reveal what he did that day and Charlie would document how it affected the Mark on his chest. They'd settled into this routine rather quickly and the demoness found herself looking forward to the nightly decompression. It was comfortable, despite the seriousness of the subject matter. Alastor would play music, from his fixed microphone, the old jazz adding an extra layer of contentment.
She stepped in, the demon's red coat draped over her arm. "Hi," she began, almost shy. She offered it to him. "Thanks for this, you really didn't need to…"
He reached for it and their fingers brushed, his lingering a millisecond longer than necessary.
"Oh, but I wanted to," he smiled, eyes twinkling. "Red really does suit you."
In response, Charlie grinned down at her toes and shuffled past Alastor into his room.
She flopped onto her spot on the couch and busted open her notebook.
"Alright Alastor," she sang, "Take your clothes off!" Her face erupted in scarlet. "Er- you know what I mean!"
"Someone might misunderstand that one day," he laughed. "But as you wish…" The red demon stripped off his bowtie and peeled down his collar. If shame was a thing, he had none when it came to taking off his clothes for the princess.
The demoness was busying herself with her notes, blushing furiously at what she said without thinking.
"So," she began, still without looking up, "How was your day today? Anything unusual happen?"
"Hmmm, nothing out of the ordinary, besides ribbing those wretched ne'er-do-wells…" his grin grew into a smile at the memory. "Oh, how I look forward to watching their inevitable re-fall from grace!" he sighed dreamily, placing a claw against his chest in mock longing.
"Come on, Al! Admit it, you liked them. You want to see them succeed!"
"Of course I want them to succeed, so I may then watch them fall from even greater heights!" The deer demon finally noticed her strained gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you avert your eyes, my dear? Don't like watching me undress? I'm only doing what you told me to…"
Charlie turned her nose up at him, eyes closed, leaning her head on the back of the couch. "It's unseemly for a lady of my stature to watch a man… declothe," she scoffed, holding back a giggle.
"'Unseemly'? I must be rubbing off on you," he grinned, enjoying that notion way more than he ought to.
The princess agreed, nodding. "We've been spending far too much time together lately," she chuckled. "Not that I mind!" she added for reassurance.
"Is that so?" His tone was laced with playfulness. "And here I thought you might have grown tired of my company."
"Honestly… I like spending time with you," the demoness admitted, forgetting where she was and who she was talking to at that moment while her eyes were closed. "I can't imagine what I'd do without you."
Alastor's attention snapped to her, and in a heartbeat his body moved of its own accord to stand squarely in front of her. He leaned over, bending at the hips, and tilted his head, his black tips a hair's breadth away from tickling her nose. His gaze pierced as he watched her eyelids shiver with the effort of screwing them shut.
Vulnerable and trusting, she sat there, offering him her entire being. He could feel the weight of her trust, a sensation that sent a ripple through Alastor's throat. He swallowed reflexively, his pulse quickening.
Charlie's breath hitched as she sensed him hovering, his close proximity warming the air that enveloped them. His gloved hands placed themselves on either side of her head as he inched closer, his claws sinking into the soft fabric. Charlie instinctively pressed herself back into the cushions.
"Al…?" she questioned, voice soft.
"Look at me, Charlie."
Her ruby eyes blinked open at the unexpected tenderness in his voice. It lacked its usual static, sounding more present and real than she'd ever heard it before. "Are you– okay?" she choked out, her eyes not once leaving his. She tried to read his expression. He was grinning, of course, but it was strained with questions, as if he was trying to decipher a riddle before him. Or in this case, beneath him.
Alastor's mind was a whirling radio clock of broken gears, unable to process what he was doing or thinking or feeling. His eyes raked over her pink face, her slightly parted lips, the rosy dots on her cheeks. He could see her, she was real, close enough to touch, close enough to-
A drop of anticipation prickled in her gaze and Alastor was lost. His marked chest heaved like a turbulent sea, rocking with restless waves of black.
He pulled away, and the moment was over.
The Radio Demon's dress shirt was hanging off of him and he shuffled it back up his freckled shoulders.
Charlie found herself breathless, and refocused her attention on the forgotten notebook at her side. She brought it up, cleared her throat and moved fallen hair behind her ear. She caught her breath and quickly adopted an air of professionalism.
"W-What, um, were you uh, thinking just now?" she asked with a quaking voice, trying and failing to hold up her pen.
"You don't want to know, my darling," said the deer demon.
And they left it at that, neither wanting to broach the subject, both wanting to pretend like nothing happened. It was simpler that way, to preserve their own status quo, and infinitely more comprehensible.
…
The next day, Charlie avoided Alastor. Well, not avoided, but she steered clear of all his usual haunts. She worked on her redemption plans in her room, took breakfast outside, and overall kept herself believably busy. She invited Vaggie with her out to lunch and the duo spent time in the garden. It had been a while since the pair had any quality time together and Charlie felt that she'd been so distracted as of late and thus owed the former soldier her full attention.
Vaggie, on the other hand, was beyond relieved to have Charlie's company for the day, also feeling like her partner had been horribly preoccupied by some 'unknown' issue. But though they were together, and Charlie was sitting directly in front of her, Vaggie still sensed that her girlfriend's mind was elsewhere.
"What's the matter, hon? You keep looking all over the place."
"I am?" Charlie asked, caught off guard.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" Vaggie asked, fishing.
"Nervous? Why? What's tomorrow?" Charlie asked, genuinely confused.
"The first redemption activity… you were just talking about it a second ago, remember?"
"Ah," Charlie laughed, "Of course I remember, Vaggieee, just… a lot on my mind." The demoness twined their fingers together and squeezed as reassuringly as possible.
But Vaggie wasn't convinced. Flashes of her last conversation with Husk and Angel kept entering her mind and she swallowed the lump that formed whenever she imagined Charlie and Alastor together. They were just dancing, she told herself continuously. They were just co-workers. Alastor didn't even have it in him to feel anything for another person… but did Charlie?
She choked down her need to ask Charlie about it, knowing that whatever answer she received would not satisfy her and would ultimately end in another argument. What Vaggie truly needed was to bring their relationship back to normalcy, back to calm seas.
The problem was that Alastor was an earthquake, and he was rocking their relationship to its very foundation, on purpose or not.
Suddenly, Charlie's phone began to ring and she jumped in surprise, excusing herself to take it privately.
Again, Vaggie felt like she was watching her from a distance, unable to breach the rift that still separated them. Made even deeper by her constant slip-ups regarding the Radio Demon. She could do something, she thought. Make a move, ignore it, bury it, move on. Or she could do something else, something far more drastic, something that would get results.
Charlie returned minutes later, looking a little frantic but nothing worse for wear. She apologized and retook her seat and the couple resumed their meal.
It was normal still, all of it normal. Or it could be, it would be. Somehow.
Vaggie's posture relaxed as she took up her lover's hand, both eased and perturbed by the direction of her own thoughts. Yes, she hated herself, but she hated the Radio Demon more.
Eventually, Charlie left to return to her duties, leaving Vaggie with the task of thinking up more ways to drum up attention to the hotel.
"Remember our commercial?" she had left her with. Vaggie very much did remember and she remembered another little detail about the whole thing, one pertaining to the deer demon himself.
Maybe Vox might have some ideas.
...
AN:
We've reached CHAPTER 10! What a milestone! I'm so happy I got to write this and share it with the community. Hope you all have been enjoying it so far (even if the community is a bit small these days!) It's been ages since I really wrote and posted a fic I was proud of, especially one this long! And we ain't even close to wrapping things up!
Appreciate the comments, you all are the best! Enjoy~~~~~