Work Text:
Lute flexed her hands into fists, trying to distract herself from her nerves. She had no idea why Sera wanted to meet with her but she came when she was called, even if it was earlier than she’d like.
‘’Lute,’’ Sera said, entering the room and closing the door behind her.
‘’Ma’am.’’
‘’I’m sure you know that the last Extermination went….differently than we were expecting.’’
You don’t have to tell me, I lost my damn arm in that fight, Lute thought.
‘’Needless to say, we won’t be having another one in six months,’’ Sera said.
‘’We’re going to need time to re-group and come up with the best solution. Someone’s going to have to speak to one of the staff from the Hotel.’’
‘’And you want it to be me,’’ Lute said.
‘’Yes,’’ Sera said.
Lute could feel her muscles constrict. She really didn’t want to do this. Still, there’s no way that she could say no. Not to Sera.
‘’Yes, ma’am,’’ she said.
‘’What time do you want me there?’’
‘’Noon tomorrow,’’ Sera said.
‘’I’ll be there,’’ Lute said.
Sera smiled.
‘’I knew you would.’’
Lute rolled her eyes. Of course she would do it because she was oh-so boring and predictable.
Guilt started to rise in her chest. She shouldn’t be upset about this. She should be proud that Sera trusted her. She was supposed to be loyal to Heaven’s higher-ups.
You don’t want to be kicked out of Heaven, do you?
Lute gulped, the thought sending a shiver down her spine.
‘’May I go?’’ she asked.
‘’I’ve got Exorcists to train, ma’am.’’
‘’Yes, of course,’’ Sera said.
‘’Go on.’’
‘’Thank you, ma’am,’’ Lute said. As soon as she shut the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d better get started on training her Exorcists.
Technically, they didn’t need training. She didn’t even know if there would be another Extermination. But Lute needed a way to distract herself from the knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach.
‘’Lute!’’
Lute lips twitched upward into a small smile.
‘’Emily.’’ She gave a small nod to acknowledge the Seraphin.
‘’I heard Sera talked to you, huh?’’ Emily asked.
Lute nodded.
‘’This was your idea, I presume?’’
Emily grinned.
‘Why not? We have things to work out.’’
Lute rolled her eyes.
‘’What is it with you and that damn hotel? Are you in love with Charlie or something?’’
Emily’s smile faltered.
Lute cringed. That had sounded worse than she intended.
‘’I’m sorry,’’ she sighed.
‘’That was a little harsh.’’
Emily shrugged.
‘’I get it. It’s stressful, y’know? Trying to step up as a leader.’’
‘’Tell me about it,’’ Lute groaned.
‘’I’ve barely had time to sleep.’’
Emily gave her a concerned glance.
‘’You have looked awfully stressed lately.’’
Lute looked at the ground so that Emily couldn’t see her blushing. She attempted to handwave it away.
‘’I’m fine,’’ she said.
‘’Maybe I should go with you,’’ Emily said.
‘’To the hotel.’’
Lute was about to open her mouth to say that she didn’t need help but Emily was pretty personable and already got along with Charlie. Maybe this way Lute wouldn’t have to talk to any of them.
‘’Fine,’’ she said, with a sigh.
‘’Great!’’ Emily beamed.
‘’When do we need to be there?’’
‘’Noon tomorrow.’’
‘’Alright, I’ll see you there!’’ Emily said. She pressed a quick kiss against Lute’s cheek.
‘’Thanks for letting me come, you’re the best!’’
Fuck, what have I gotten myself into? Lute thought.
She wasn’t stupid, she was well-aware that some of her….feelings for Emily were more than platonic. Unfortunately, she still had no idea whether or not Emily felt the same way about her.
Lute sighed. She really couldn’t deal with this right now. She needed to get plenty of sleep if she was going to be in Hell tomorrow.
************************************************************************************************
‘’Are you sure this is safe?’’ Lute asked, tentatively.
‘’Yeah, just don’t wear your helmet and you’ll be fine,’’ Emily said.
‘’Nobody will recognize you.’’
Lute frowned.
‘’If you say so, I guess,’’ she said, digging her nails into her palm.
‘’Lute, are you nervous?’’ Emily asked.
Lute flushed.
‘’I’ve never been…..there before when it wasn’t Extermination Day.’’
She also hadn’t been there without Adam but Emily didn’t need to know that.
Emily stifled a giggle.
‘’It’s not funny!’’ Lute grumbled.
‘’It’s a little funny,’’ Emily said.
‘’But it’s cute.’’
‘’I-’’ Lute struggled to find words. What was she going to say after that? Was Emily flirting with her, or was this just what friends said to each other?
‘’Hey,’’ Emily said, squeezing Lute’s shoulder.
‘’It’ll be fine.’’
‘’Easy for you to say,’’ Lute muttered.
‘’You’ve never been to Hell.’’
‘’It can’t be that bad,’’ Emily said.
Lute hesitated.
‘’Just be careful, okay?’’
Emily nodded.
‘’I will. I’m not stupid, y’know.’’
‘’I know,’’ Lute sighed.
But I worry about you was her next thought. She didn’t say that one out loud.
She sighed.
‘’Ready?’’
Emily nodded.
‘’Absolutely.’’
‘’Okay,’’ Lute said.
She sighed.
‘’I hope you enjoy Hell.’’
********************************************************************************************************
When Vaggie came downstairs, Charlie was zipping around the room at light-speed.
‘’Hey, babe? Are you okay?’’ Vaggie asked.
‘’Oh, yeah, I’m fine!’’ Charlie said.
‘’Just tidying everything up for our guests!’’
‘’That’s great but you really don’t need to do that,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’It’s Lute. She’s not gonna care about anything us ‘’dirty sinners’’ do.’’
It’d been years since Vaggie and Lute dated but she knew her ex-girlfriend like the back of her hand.
‘’That’s just it!’’ Charlie said.
‘’It’s not just Lute. Emily’s gonna be here too!’’
Vaggie frowned. She hadn’t expected that the Seraphin would come here of all places.
‘’Did she say why she was coming?’’
‘’Ha!’’ Angel smirked, walking by.
‘’Not the time!’’ Vaggie yelled after him.
Charlie shrugged.
‘’Maybe she just felt like it.’’
‘’Huh,’’ Vaggie said.
She had no issues with Emily. She was a perfectly nice girl (er, angel). Vaggie was more worried about Lute.
Lute was bloodthirsty on a good day but since her plans for a biannual Extermination had fallen through and her leader had died, chances were that Lute wasn’t going to be in a good mood.
‘’Hey, Vaggie?’’
‘’Hmm?’’
Vaggie looked across the room to see Charlie hanging up a ‘’Welcome’’ banner.
‘’Do you think they’ll like it?’’ Charlie asked.
Her eyes were shining and she had a huge grin across her face.
‘’Well,’’ Vaggie hesitated.
‘’I think Emily is going to love it.’’
‘’I thought so too,’’ Charlie said.
‘’That’s why I added the glitter.’’
‘’I think she’ll love that,’’ Vaggie said, wrapping Charlie into a hug.
Charlie beamed.
‘’Thanks,’’ she said.
A loud knock interrupted their hug.
‘’I’ll get it,’’ Charlie said.
As soon as Charlie opened the door, Vaggie heard a squeal.
‘’Hiiiiii!’’
‘’Hi!’’ Charlie squealed, squeezing Emily into a tight hug.
‘’I’m so glad you’re here!’’
Out of the corner of her eye, Vaggie could see Lute roll her eyes.
‘’Having fun?’’ Vaggie asked, striding over to the doorway.
‘’I just want to get this over with,’’ Lute growled.
‘’Lute!’’ Charlie chirped.
‘’How are you?’’
She had the insight not to attempt to hug Lute, which made Vaggie sigh in relief.
‘’Well, one of you killed Adam and one of you-’’ She glared daggers at Vaggie.
‘’-did this.’’ She lifted up her prosthetic arm.
Vaggie had to bite back a response that she hadn’t done that—---Lute had ripped her own arm off. She wasn’t surprised that Lute was blaming her for it, though.
‘’Oh,’’ Charlie said.
She turned her focus back to Emily.
‘’So, how’s Sir Pentious doing?’’
‘’He’s good! He seems to be fitting in well. I’ve been showing him around Heaven.’’
‘’Aww, I’m glad he’s doing well!’’ Charlie said.
‘’Tell him I said hi!’’
Lute rolled her eyes.
‘’Hey,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Can I talk to you?’’
Before Lute could answer, Vaggie grabbed her arm and dragged her off to a nearby hallway.
‘’What the fuck is your problem?’’ she snapped.
‘’Did you think I would be happy about seeing you again?’’ Lute growled.
‘’You know how much I hate this place.’’
Vaggie rolled her eyes.
‘’Listen, we both have to be here for this meeting. We might as well try to get along.’’
‘’What’s stopping me from killing you right now?’’ Lute asked.
‘’You won’t,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’What makes you so sure?’’
‘’Because you’ll get in trouble with Sera,’’ Vaggie said, ‘’and I know that you can’t disappoint her.’’
Lute glared at Vaggie but she wasn’t disagreeing.
‘’Can we at least give it a try?’’ Vaggie asked.
‘’Please?’’
Lute rolled her eyes.
‘’Fine.’’
‘’Thank you,’’ Vaggie said, with a sigh.
‘’I’m sure that Emily will appreciate it.’’
Vaggie could swear that Lute’s cheeks turned gold.
Lute sighed.
‘’Let’s get this over with.’’
Yep, Lute was definitely blushing.
Hmmm, that was interesting. Vaggie would have to look into this.
*****************************************************************************************************
‘’I think you both know that we won’t be having another Extermination in six months,’’ Lute said, through gritted teeth.
‘’So, we’ll be waiting at least a year before we have another one.’’
She could see Charlie’s face fall. Vaggie scowled and Emily looked just as disappointed as Charlie.
That last one made Lute’s heart sink a little.
Damn, what was wrong with her? A year ago, she would’ve stood her ground without even batting an eyelash. Now? Lute was starting to worry that she’d gotten soft.
‘’A year?’’ Vaggie snapped.
‘’Oh, you want me to kill those sinners tomorrow?’’
‘’Lute!’’
Lute froze. She had never heard Emily raise her voice before.
Emily turned to face Lute.
‘’Lute,’’ she said.
‘’Can’t you just…..give them more time?’’
‘’I-’’ Lute opened her mouth, ready to say no, but Emily stared at her with those damn pleading, puppy dog eyes.
Fuck.
‘’I can’t make any promises,’’ she said.
‘’I’m not in charge. It’s really up to Sera.’’
Emily was still looking at her with the biggest, saddest eyes she’d ever seen.
Oh, fuck you, Emily. Fuck you and your beautiful fucking eyes.
‘’I-I promise that I won’t come down for at least a year,’’ Lute said.
‘’And I’ll-’’
She sucked in her breath.
Here goes nothing, I guess.
‘’-let you know in advance when—--if—----- we have another Extermination.’’
After she finished speaking, her hands started shaking. She’d ever done anything like this before. What if Sera got mad at her? What if she couldn’t make it back to Heaven?
Charlie looked at Lute like she was a unicorn topped in rainbow sprinkles.
‘’Are you serious?’’ she squealed.
When Lute gave a hesitant nod, Charlie wrapped her into a huge hug.
‘’Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!’’
Lute could see Vaggie staring at her so she awkwardly pulled away from the hug.
‘’Oh, you’re not a hugger,’’ Charlie said.
‘’Got it.’’
Lute shrugged. She didn’t really care about what Charlie had to say. She was completely focused on Emily.
Emily wasn’t looking at her but she was smiling. Lute wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her right there and then.
The door to the meeting room was thrown open and Lute nearly jumped out of her skin. A tall man with deerlike ears, a red bob and an eerie smile sauntered into the room.
Lute recognized him; he was there at the last Extermination. He was the one who attempted to go up against Adam and then ran away like a coward once he was defeated.
‘’Um, Alastor, this isn’t really a good time,’’ Charlie said.
‘’Well, this is a meeting about the hotel, isn’t it?’’ Alastor asked.
‘’And I am your right-hand man, my dear.’’
‘’That’s true,’’ Charlie said.
‘’But we’ve already figured things out so I think we’re all good.’’
Alastor narrowed his eyes.
‘’I see,’’ he said. He shifted his gaze towards Lute.
‘’Wasn’t this one here wreaking havoc on the last Extermination day?’’
Fuck, how does he know that? I don’t have my helmet on.
‘’Yes,’’ Charlie said.
‘’Buuuuut she just did something nice for us so maybe don’t kill her?’’
‘’Hmmm,’’ Alastor sighed.
‘’I suppose I could leave the angel be.’’
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief.
‘’Thank you, Al.’’
Alastor kept that same smile on his face. That fucking creepy smile that sent shivers down Lute’s spine.
‘’Anyway,’’ Charlie said.
‘’It’s getting late and it seems like we’ve resolved this situation?’’
She looked to Lute and Lute nodded in confirmation.
‘’You guys should probably head back to Heaven,’’ Charlie said.
‘’It gets a little…..well, worse down here at night.’’
‘’Whaddya mean worse?’’ drawled a tall, skinny spider demon with fluffy, white hair.
‘’That’s when all the fun comes out.’’
He eyed Lute and Emily.
‘’New guests?’’
‘’Not exactly,’’ Charlie said.
‘’They’re visitors from Heaven.’’
The demon narrowed his eyes.
‘’Exorcists?’’
‘’Yes,’’ Alastor drawled.
‘’Well, one is,’’ Vaggie said, jerking her thumb towards Lute.
‘’The other one’s a Seraphim.’’
‘’Hi, I’m Emily!’’ Emily said.
‘’It’s nice to meet you.’’
‘’That is Angel Dust,’’ Charlie said.
‘’He’s one of our guests. He’s making great progress!’’
‘’The porn demon,’’ Lute muttered, under her breath.
Vaggie gave her a look.
Angel smirked.
‘’Yep. That’s me, the porn demon, at your service.’’
Lute rolled her eyes. Typical demon behavior.
‘’C’mon, Em,’’ she said.
‘’We’d better get back home.’’
Emily shook her head.
‘’No, I want to stay and get to know the Hotel better.’’
‘’Wellllllll….you two could always stay here for the night,’’ Charlie said.
Lute pursed her lips. She really didn’t want to stay in Hell but, on the other hand, she couldn’t leave Emily here alone…..
Vaggie was already going into damage control mode.
‘’I don’t know if Lute wants to…’’
‘’Fine,’’ Lute interrupted.
‘’I’ll stay.’’
‘’What?’’ asked Vaggie and Emily in unison.
‘’Great!’’ Charlie beamed.
‘’I think we have a spare room.’’
Lute nearly choked.
‘’A room? As in one, singular room?’’
Vaggie cleared her throat.
‘’Hey, Charlie, can I talk to you for a minute?’’
******************************************************************************************************
‘’Charlie,’’ Vaggie said, once they were a safe distance away from everyone else.
‘’What are you doing?’’
‘’Welllll, you know, I just thought that maybe they have feelings for each other!’’ Charlie said.
‘’Char, this is a bad idea,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Lute isn’t…..the most receptive to people messing around in her personal life. Hell, she doesn’t even like having a personal life.’’
Vaggie wracked her brain to remember if Lute was even out. She may not have liked the Exorcist Angel very much but she knew Lute had issues with her sexuality and she wasn’t going to out her before she was ready.
‘’Yeah but she seems to really like Emily,’’ Charlie said.
‘’Anddddd, if she’s in a better mood, she might be more receptive to the Hotel!’’
‘’That’s a great idea, babe,’’ Vaggie said.
Charlie sighed.
‘’But?’’
‘’But I’d be a little worried for Emily.’’
Charlie tilted her head to the side.
‘’Why?’’
Vaggie bit her lip.
‘’Look, Lute and I used to date.’’
‘’What?!’’ Charlie exclaimed.
She lowered her voice.
‘’You never told me this.’’
‘’Well,’’ Vaggie frowned.
‘’It wasn’t ‘’dating’’ exactly, it was more like….’’
‘’Fucking?’’ Angel asked, entering the room.
‘’It’s cruder than how I would put it but yes,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Ha! I knew it,’’ Angel said, a smug smirk on his face.
‘’No straight woman wears her hair like that.’’
‘’Angel, what are you doing here?’’ Vaggie asked.
Angel shrugged.
‘’I got bored,’’ he said.
‘’There’s nothing interesting back there, not even any alcohol.’’
Vaggie sighed.
‘’Trust me, I know Lute. It’s best if we just get her out of here as quickly as possible.’’
‘’I know, I know, she’s an asshole,’’ Charlie said.
‘’But that’s kind of the point of the hotel. We’re here to redeem people, right?’’
‘’Yeah and setting people up is fun,’’ Angel added.
‘’Just not Lute,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Look, babe, I know you mean well but she’s-she’s…..’’
‘’If she was a sinner, she’d be an Overlord,’’ Angel offered.
Vaggie frowned.
‘’Well, yes.’’
She turned to face a disappointed Charlie, ready to tell her that this wasn’t going to work.
‘’Babe-’’
‘’Vaggie, please, please, please, please, please!’’ Charlie begged, making the ‘’sad-puppy-dog-eyes’’ look.
That was a look that Vaggie was all too familiar with.
She sighed.
‘’Okay, fine. We can give it a try.’’
‘’Alright!’’ Angel said.
‘’I’ll go tell your little angel friends that there’s for sure only one room left.’’
He cackled as he left.
Vaggie groaned, inwardly.
What have I gotten myself into? she thought.
She noticed that Charlie was being unusually quiet.
‘’Hey, Char, are you okay?’’
‘’I just…..you didn’t tell me that you dated…..her,’’ Charlie said.
Vaggie sat down next to Charlie.
‘’Look, it was a long time ago and she was a shitty person back then. I much prefer being with you.’’
‘’I’m not jealous, Vaggie,’’ Charlie said.
‘’It just made me realize that I don’t know much of what your life was like before I met you.’’
‘’It’s not a past I’m proud of,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’I think I wanted to just forget about it.’’
Charlie nodded.
‘’That makes sense,’’ she said.
‘’I’m sorry for not telling you,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’It’s okay,’’ Charlie said, squeezing Vaggie’s shoulder.
She smiled.
‘’So, Lute, huh?’’
‘’It was a long time ago,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’This was before she tried to kill me.’’
Charlie giggled.
‘’Hey, Charlie?’’ Angel said, poking his head into the door.
‘’Emily wants to look around the Hotel and Alastor offered to show her around. Thought you might wanna know.’’
‘’Oh, shit,’’ Charlie said.
‘’I’ll go with them.’’
She looked back towards Vaggie.
‘’Are you okay showing Lute her room? Or are you gonna kill each other?’’
‘’We’ll be fine,’’ Vaggie assured her.
‘’Go give Emily her tour.’’
Charlie smiled at her before hurrying out of the room behind Angel.
As Charlie left, Vaggie’s smile faded.
Oh, this was a bad idea.
********************************************************************************************************
Lute ran her fingers through her hair, annoyed at how it wasn’t laying right.
What was wrong with her?
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Lute, she told herself.
‘’Oh my gosh, Lute, this place is so nice!’’ Emily said, entering the room. Lute instinctively clenched her hand into a fist.
‘’Well, nice is certainly an…..interesting way to put it,’’ Lute said.
‘’Why do you hate this place so much?’’ Emily asked.
That caught Lute off guard. She’d never really put thought into why she hated it. Adam had hated it so she did too.
‘’It’s not how we do things,’’ Lute said.
‘’Why not?’’ Emily asked.
‘’Just because it’s not how things used to be doesn’t mean things can’t change.’’
‘’I-’’ Lute opened her mouth to protest but that was a pretty damn convincing argument.
‘’I don’t know,’’ she said, quietly.
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Emily spoke up.
‘’So, that’s your Vaggie, huh?’’
‘’She’s not my Vaggie anymore,’’ Lute said.
Emily winced.
‘’It sounds like things ended badly.’’
‘’Yeah,’’ Lute sighed.
‘’I kinda fucked that one up.’’
‘’Do you miss her?’’ Emily asked.
Lute pursed her lips.
‘’Sometimes,’’ she said.
‘’I really did like her.’’
‘’I’m sorry,’’ Emily said, squeezing Lute’s hand.
‘’It’s fine,’’ Lute muttered.
‘’I’m over it. Mostly.’’
She realized that Emily was still holding her hand, her thumb gently caressing Lute’s palm.
Lute pulled her hand away and she could feel Emily stiffen next to her.
The door opened and Charlie poked her head in.
‘’Are you two doing okay?’’
Emily offered Charlie a smile.
‘’I’m great, thank you.’’
Charlie turned her attention to Lute.
‘’I’m fine,’’ Lute muttered.
Charlie seemed to accept that answer and didn’t press for anything further.
‘’Okay,’’ she said.
‘’Sleep well, guys.’’
As soon as Charlie shut the door, Emily turned to Lute with a smile on her face.
‘’She’s so nice!’’
‘’Yeah, I guess so,’’ Lute said.
‘’For a Hell-born.’’
If Lute hadn’t known better, she would have sworn that Emily rolled her eyes.
‘’Well, I like her,’’ she said.
‘’Y’know, Vaggie doesn’t seem so bad either. None of them do.’’
As Emily chatted about the hotel, Lute groaned.
‘’What?’’ Emily asked.
‘’Nothing, I’m just tired,’’ Lute lied.
‘’Oh, sorry, I’ll turn off the light,’’ Emily said.
The fact that Emily was being nice to her, despite how much of a bitch she was being, turned Lute’s stomach.
‘’Thanks,’’ she muttered, pulling the sheets over her body as Emily turned out the light.
‘’Of course,’’ Emily said.
‘’Goodnight.’’
‘’Night,’’ Lute muttered.
She positioned herself at the edge of the bed, ensuring that she didn’t touch Emily.
Isn’t this your dream? The voice in her head asked her.
Don’t you want to sleep with Emily?
Lute could feel herself blush. Of course she wanted to sleep with Emily but pursuing her in that way felt……creepy—-wrong even.
Besides, she was busy. She didn’t need a relationship.
At least that’s what she told herself.
Emily interrupted her train of thought.
‘’I’m sorry.’’
‘’For what?’’ Lute scoffed.
‘’You have nothing to apologize for. You’re the best damn thing in my life.’’
Woah, she hadn’t meant to actually say that.
Luckily, Emily seemed content to ignore it.
‘’I know but…..it just seems like you’re going through a lot. I’m so sorry, Lute.’’
That wasn’t what Lute had expected her to say. She knew Emily was kind, but, damnit, why did she keep being so nice to Lute? Emily had to know that Lute didn’t deserve this kind of kindness…..right?
Tears quivered on Lute’s lashes, threatening to fall down her face. Lute brushed them away, hoping that Emily didn’t see. Lute didn’t cry, especially not in front of other people.
‘’Losing an arm is inconvenient,’’ Lute admitted.
Truthfully, losing the arm was the least of her worries right now, despite how hellish the process of learning to use her new arm had been.
‘’I know,’’ Emily said.
‘’But there’s more than that.’’
Fuck.
Months ago, long before Emily knew about the Exterminations, Lute had gotten very drunk and ended up sobbing about her problems to Emily. The memories of it were still humiliating and Lute wasn’t eager to revisit anything she’d shared.
‘’Losing Adam was really hard, wasn’t it?’’ Emily asked.
That wasn’t where Lute had expected the conversation to go.
‘’He was my leader,’’ she said, softly.
‘’And he was my friend.’’
The tears that Lute had tried so hard to suppress started to return.
‘’I miss him,’’ she whispered.
Emily gently patted Lute’s shoulders.
‘’Now he’s gone and I-’’ Lute paused, her voice catching in her throat.
‘’I have to lead the Exorcists. I’m not a leader, Em, I-I have no idea what I’m doing.’’
She took a deep breath before continuing.
‘’He was also my friend. I don’t trust or like a lot of people but…..’’
Her voice trailed off and Emily gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Lute squeezed her eyes shut, a few stray tears running down her face.
She quickly wiped them away before Emily could see.
‘’Plus work has been stressful,’’ she said.
‘’Maybe you should ask Sera for a break,’’ Emily suggested.
Lute immediately shook her head.
‘’Why not?’’ Emily pressed.
‘’She’s in charge, I don’t ask her for anything.’’
‘’Have you ever tried?’’
‘’I-I don’t-’’ Lute stammered.
Emily sighed.
‘’Look, for once in your life just…..do something you want.’’
Lute felt her heartbeat increase.
‘’Something I want?’’
‘’Yes,’’ Emily said.
‘’I promise that it’s okay.’’
Lute hesitated before leaning forwards and tentatively pressed a kiss against Emily’s lips.
Emily’s soft lips tasted sweet and felt like paradise. Lute could practically feel the serotonin coursing through her veins.
Emily gently ran her hands through Lute’s hair, leaning into the kiss.
Lute heard a loud creak from the opposite side of the room and she immediately jumped up, pulling away from Emily.
As soon as Lute pulled away from the kiss, she started to realize what she’d done.
Why had she kissed Emily? What was she thinking? She couldn’t kiss Emily. She was a Seraphim, Lute was an Exorcist. They couldn’t be together.
‘’Lute?’’
No, no, no, no, no.
Lute scrambled off the bed and across the room.
‘’I, fuck, I’m sorry, Emily.’’
Before Emily could say anything, Lute left the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
*************************************************************************************************
Vaggie had always been a light sleeper. It hadn’t been much of a problem in Heaven, where everything was quiet but Hell was an entirely different story. Vaggie would frequently wake up in the middle of the night—----mostly due to Niffty.
So, tonight, when she heard what sounded like someone pacing around, she just assumed it was her.
Vaggie checked to make sure Charlie was still asleep before getting out of bed and padding down the stairs to see what was going on.
‘’Hey, Niffty, it’s late,’’ Vaggie said, yawning.
‘’Why don’t you go back to bed?’’
She stopped abruptly upon seeing Lute pacing around the hotel’s living room, muttering to herself.
Vaggie rubbed her eyes. Was she dreaming?
Lute caught sight of Vaggie.
‘’What are you doing here?’’ she snapped.
‘’I live here,’’ Vaggie said, crossing her arms.
‘’The real question is, what are you doing?’’
‘’Couldn’t sleep,’’ Lute said, through gritted teeth.
Vaggie yawned. She just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for a few more hours but Lute looked beyond upset.
‘’Hey,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Are you okay?’’
‘’Just fucking leave me alone.’’
Lute buried her face in her hands.
Vaggie sighed. She didn’t want to do this.
She sat next to Lute.
‘’Do you wanna talk about it?’’
Lute lifted her head from her hands to scowl at Vaggie.
‘’Look, I don’t want to do this either,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’But you’re not exactly subtle and Charlie’s gonna notice it tomorrow.’’
Lute rolled her eyes.
‘’Fine,’’ she muttered.
‘’I kissed Emily.’’
Vaggie didn’t know what she expected to hear but it certainly wasn’t that.
‘’Excuse me?’’
‘’You heard me.’’
Vaggie searched for something to say.
‘’I had no idea that you two were dating.’’
Lute scoffed.
‘’We’re not. It was just the one kiss.’’
‘’So, what happened?’’
‘’We kissed, I freaked out and left and now I’m here talking to you,’’ Lute said, her lip curling upward in a slight sneer.
‘’So you just left her there?’’ Vaggie asked.
‘’What else was I supposed to do?’’ Lute asked.
‘’I couldn’t stay with her.’’
‘’Why not?’’
‘’Because we’re not supposed to be together!’’ Lute said.
‘’I’m an Exorcist, she’s a Seraphim, we don’t go together.’’
She sighed.
‘’Besides, I’m too busy for a relationship.’’
‘’That didn’t stop Adam,’’ Vaggie pointed out.
‘’But those weren’t relationships, that was just sex!’’ Lute exclaimed.
‘’I know how to do that but I’ve never-’’
She paused.
‘’What?’’ Vaggie asked.
‘’I’ve never really dated anyone before,’’ Lute muttered.
‘’Gee, thanks,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’You knew what I meant,’’ Lute said.
‘’We were…..’’
‘’On-and-off,’’ Vaggie agreed.
‘’And it was mostly sex.’’
Lute blushed.
‘’Please don’t bring that up.’’
That infuriated Vaggie. She knew what Lute was like but to ignore their entire relationship? That was low, even for Lute.
‘’Do you have any idea how you made me feel?’’ Vaggie asked.
‘’How much it hurts to be hidden away like a dirty little secret? How confusing it is to not know where you stand with someone who’s supposed to be your person? That was my first relationship, Lute. I’m lucky to have found someone like Charlie—---someone who’s shown me what a healthy relationship is like. Did you even like me?’’
‘’Of course I liked you!’’ Lute snapped.
‘’You were my favorite person and you betrayed me! Betrayed us! Did you think I wanted to leave you in Hell? Damnit, Vaggie, I was in love with you!’’
Lute paused, as if she was just now processing what she had said.
‘’Well, you sure had an interesting way of showing it,’’ Vaggie said.
Lute muttered something incomprehensible.
‘’What was that?’’
‘’I’m sorry,’’ Lute said.
‘’Okay? I was scared, I didn’t know how to do the relationship thing—---I still don’t and I wasn’t comfortable dating a woman and-and-’’
Lute stopped there, burying her face in her hands again.
‘’I really am sorry. You didn’t deserve that.’’
That was the first time that Vaggie had heard a genuine apology from Lute.
‘’So,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’You and Emily. When did that start?’’
‘’Sera made her give me counseling a few months after you….well, y’know but we didn’t get close until she talked with me when I was drunk.’’
‘’Wait, what?’’
‘’Long, very embarrassing story,’’ Lute said.
‘’We’ve been friends since. I’m not sure when that became-’’
She waved her hand around the room.
‘’-this.’’
Vaggie tentatively patted Lute’s shoulder.
‘’Look,’’ she said.
‘’It’s pretty clear that you love her-’’
Lute looked at Vaggie with panic in her eyes.
‘’-that you have feelings for her,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Look, she’s a great girl. Just don’t hurt her.’’
‘’It’s a little too late for that.’’
‘’Hey, there’s still time,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’Just apologize to her.’’
‘’But-’’ Lute paused.
‘’But you’re scared,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’No,’’ Lute protested.
Vaggie sighed, rubbing her forehead.
‘’I may be…..uneasy,’’ Lute admitted.
‘’I’ve had these feelings for awhile but talking to her, getting into a relationship with her……it changes everything.’’
‘’Look, I can’t make the decision for you,’’ Vaggie said.
‘’It’s your decision.’’
A loud clatter arose from the kitchen, followed by a cackle.
Vaggie massaged her temple.
‘’I gotta go,’’ she said.
‘’I hope things work out for you.’’
‘’Thanks,’’ Lute muttered.
She hesitated.
‘’Vaggie?’’
‘’Yeah?’’
‘’If you tell anyone about this, I’ll slit your throat.’’
Vaggie bit back a smirk. At least Lute was back to her old self.
She heard a loud clang from the kitchen.
‘’Shit,’’ she muttered, heading to the kitchen before Niffty could break anything.
****************************************************************************************************
Lute knocked on Emily’s door, her heart pounding.
‘’Come in,’’ Emily said, softly.
Lute opened the door and crept in.
‘’Hey,’’ she said, quietly.
‘’Hey,’’ Emily said, with a sniff.
Lute realized that Emily had been crying.
‘’I wanted to-’’ Lute sucked in her breath.
‘’-apologize for what happened.’’
She realized her mistake and corrected herself.
‘’For what I did.’’
Emily nodded, with another sniff.
‘’Thanks,’’ she said.
‘’I forgive you.’’
Lute nodded, the weight of guilt still not lifted from her chest.
‘’Can we talk?’’ she asked.
‘’You? Talk?’’ Emily asked.
Okay, she deserved that.
‘’I fucked up,’’ Lute said.
‘’I’m sorry.’’
‘’I already told you that I forgive you,’’ Emily said.
Emily was being quieter and much more….icy than usual. Was this what talking to Lute felt like?
Lute sighed.
‘’I know,’’ she said.
‘’I wanted to talk about what happened.’’
‘’You mean you kissing me?’’ Emily shot back.
‘’Yes,’’ Lute said.
‘’Maybe I got this wrong,’’ Emily said, slowly.
‘’Maybe you didn’t want to kiss me. Just because you’re a lesbian doesn’t mean you’re in love with all of your female friends. I’m sorry for assuming that.’’
‘’No, Em,’’ Lute said.
‘’I….fuck.’’
She slapped her forehead.
Emily looked confused.
‘’I…..like……you,’’ Lute said. Each word felt painful.
‘’What?’’
‘’I have romantic…..feelings for you,’’ Lute said.
She took a deep breath.
‘’I really like you and I wanted to kiss you and I know that I fucked this up but I-’’
She hesitated. Was she really going to say this?
‘’-but I want to be your girlfriend, if you’ll have me.’’
She squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks were burning. She never talked about her feelings. She was more likely to bury them deep down and ignore them.
‘’Oh, Lute,’’ Emily said.
Lute tentatively opened her eyes.
Emily hesitated before leaning forward and kissing Lute.
Lute leaned into the kiss, enjoying the sweet taste of Emily’s lips.
This time she didn’t pull away.