Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1993, Mid-September

Vaggie’s mind refused to focus as her instructor walked the class through their third dull lecture on the history of graphic design. They’d been at this for over an hour, looking at slide after slide of examples of visual communication and language. The topic could have been entertaining, but the steady, encyclopedic drone of the man standing in front of her held no enthusiasm whatsoever.

Vaggie's sparse notes on the myriad cave paintings and pictographs were surrounded by a sea of little doodles and she knew she would likely regret the lack of attention later. Talk around campus was that this particular instructor had a penchant for draconian tests and didn’t take kindly to having information listed out of order or spelled wrong. He was very much a memorization-over-comprehension type of teacher, which wasn’t jiving with Vaggie at all. Her goal just three weeks into this class was to pass, bare minimum, and that was about it.

“Many people incorrectly assume ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics to be an example of a pictographic language,” the instructor said with a nod. “If you recall, we previously discussed how pictographs are symbols used to represent a specific object. Hieroglyphics, by contrast, use a combination of syllabic, logographic, and alphabetic elements to form a very complex language,” he continued, clicking the projector so that it spun to a fresh slide.

He was about to begin speaking again when the tolling of the clocktower bell outside announced the ten o’clock hour and the end of his class. “Oh, well, we’ll pick this up next time. There will be a quiz next week, so study up on your notes. I’ll give you a rundown on what you can expect from tests at the beginning of class. Please be sure to read this chapter in your textbooks, as it covers information that will be on the quiz,” he said, moving to tap the mobile chalkboard set next to the projector screen.

Vaggie scribbled the page numbers down, shoved her composition book into her backpack, then pushed herself to her feet. She slid out from behind the desk and swung her bag over her shoulder, the weight of the textbook thumping heavily against her back driving the corner of a smaller book into her skin. Vaggie winced, irritated that she’d been dragging the monstrous tome around per her teacher’s instruction when they had yet to actually crack it open during class. She lingered, waiting for the press of people rushing to get out of the classroom to clear, then trailed out at a distance behind them.

Three weeks into her freshman year and it was business as usual; the short-ish, mildly-punk-looking brown girl just trying to get through her classes and keep to herself. With the exception of her best friend, Vaggie’s few high school friends had scattered to attend other schools after graduating. Necessity had dictated that her own college pursuits be set back a year to give her mother the time to build up a savings and Vaggie had fallen out of touch entirely. She had never been quick to make friends and the prospect of trying to find new ones was daunting. Her anxiety had thus far prevented her from even trying, so unless somebody fell into her lap and then stuck around for some inexplicable reason, it probably wasn't going to happen.

That was fine, Vaggie supposed; being a loner wasn’t all bad. Introductions were always a pain, anyway. The ‘vagina’ jokes incited by her name were beyond old.

With a sigh, Vaggie hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and strode out onto the curving sidewalk that crossed the school grounds toward the tree-lined road a few dozen yards beyond. Her schedule this semester was a little weird and today’s itinerary happened to be such that she had a morning class and then nothing at all until four in the evening. She could go home to study and read, but the weather was still warm and Vaggie wanted to make the most of it. Even though she had been very, very small when her family had moved to the States, she could still remember how nice El Salvador had been year-round. Up here in New York, winters became bitter and awful and full of snow that she’d end up having to shovel. She detested it with a passion.

Vaggie walked along, absentmindedly enjoying the mild September air, when a voice like a clear, soft bell snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Excuse me? Um, sorry,” a tall woman—like, absurdly tall, holy hell—said as she approached Vaggie. She appeared to be about Vaggie's own age. “I’m looking for History of Graphic Design? It’s in the Maxwell Building. Room-“ she squinted at a slip of paper in her hands and Vaggie couldn’t help but take note of her long, black polished fingernails, “-One-oh-four.”

Vaggie looked up and blinked stupidly. “Uh,” she said while her brain slowly parsed the woman’s words and simultaneously drank in her appearance; she couldn’t help herself. Black lipstick, shining bright blonde hair, the most vibrant auburn eyes Vaggie had ever seen, a loose scarlet blouse, high-cut and perfectly tailored acid washed jeans, all punctuated by high-heeled dress boots—which gave Vaggie pause; why would she need to be taller? A red leather satchel laying comfortably against her hip rounded out her outfit. The woman was an eyeful. A very pleasant eyeful.

“Do you know where it is? I’m sort of lost; not great with maps, heh,” the blonde continued sheepishly, pulling Vaggie’s attention back abruptly.

Vaggie blushed, embarrassed that she’d been staring and feeling like a massive fool, but she cleared her throat. “Oh, um, this is the right building, the room is… wait, you said History of Graphic Design? With Thompson? Eight-thirty class?”

The woman blinked in surprise, straightening her back. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Vaggie grimaced visibly. “You, uh, just missed it.”

A look of shock coupled with utter defeat crossed the tall woman’s face and she slumped forward, pouting. Hair that fell past her hips cascaded over her shoulder.

Vaggie bit back a laugh.

“I thought I was early! My watch says it’s eight!” the blonde whined, holding out her left arm to show Vaggie the nicest, most expensive-looking gold wristwatch she had ever seen in her entire life.

Vaggie humored the woman and looked more closely. “Uh… yeah, it’s actually ten,” she said with a smile, holding up her own digital watch as proof. It was kind of old, and the pastel pink and black plastic case was beat to hell, but at least it was accurate. Vaggie let the woman get a quick look before dropping her hand and pawing self-consciously at the surf-board leash style strap that refused to lay flat, the Velcro worn to the point of almost-uselessness.

“Shit,” the tall woman said sharply, standing and crossing her arms over her chest with a disgruntled sigh.

Vaggie did laugh then and the blonde looked down at her, scowling mildly as one of her eyebrows arched. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing, I’m sorry,” Vaggie said, shaking her head. “I’m just trying to figure out how your watch could be off by two hours.”

“I… uh, I’m new around here?” the blonde said after a moment of hesitation. “Transferred in. Bit of a scheduling mix-up, so I missed some of the semester already,” she added quickly, uncrossing her arms to poke at her watch. It looked like she was trying to adjust the time, but didn’t really know how and it was frustrating her.

“Oh, like out of state? That explains it, your watch is set to Mountain time. Eastern is two hours ahead. Here.” Vaggie held out her hand. “I’ll fix it for you.”

The woman looked confused, hesitated for a moment, then held out her left arm. “Oh, uh, sure?”

Vaggie took the woman’s hand and was momentarily distracted by how shockingly soft and warm her skin was, then looked closely at the device on her wrist. It had a red enameled apple emblazoned on the face and the delicate hands were shaped like a golden snake. Vaggie carefully picked at the tiny dial on the side, pulling it out, and then twisted it, observing as the hands on the watch face spun forward rapidly. She checked the time on her own watch, fine-tuned her adjustments, then clicked the dial back in place.

“There,” Vaggie said with a satisfied smirk, “now you hopefully won’t be late for any other classes you have today.”

“Thanks,” the woman said with a smile that made Vaggie’s breath catch momentarily in her throat. She was one of the most genuinely beautiful women that Vaggie had ever seen, let alone spoken to, and it was spurring up incredibly vivid thoughts that made her cringe internally with guilt.

“Not a problem,” Vaggie responded with forced nonchalance.

“I’m Charlie, by the way,” the tall woman said cheerily, her smile widening. “Charlie Magne.”

Vaggie faltered, her own smile fading a bit. “Ah, I’m… Vaggie,” she offered, her embarrassment about her own name warring with her deeply ingrained need to be polite. “Lee-Reyes,” she added after a moment.

“Oh, I love your name!” Charlie said with no hint of sarcasm. “I've never heard one like it before.”

Vaggie’s cheeks flushed as her eyebrows furrowed a little bit. She cocked her head to the side slightly.

“What?” Charlie asked, looking concerned.

“Oh, uh, that’s not usually the response I get when I introduce myself to people,” Vaggie said quietly.

The blonde woman appeared thoughtful for a moment and then an expression of realization crossed her features followed quickly by a look of sympathy. “Ohhh, yeah, I could see that. Sorry.”

Vaggie snorted, smirking incredulously up at the woman. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I… do not know,” Charlie said, her face going momentarily blank before she grinned sheepishly. “Okay, Vaggie,” she said, perking up abruptly, “You’re in that class, right? And I’ve missed a few weeks.”

“Three,” Vaggie supplied, curious to find out where this was going.

“Three,” Charlie agreed, “So, would it be weird if I asked you to share your notes? So I can get caught up?”

Vaggie felt another surge of embarrassment, recalling the utterly useless notes drowned in scribbles that she had stuffed in her bag. The previous weeks' weren't much better, though she had at least tried for the first one. “Uh,” Vaggie drawled, eliciting a concerned frown from Charlie. “Sure… but I’ve gotta be honest, my notes are hot garbage.”

The blonde woman’s face split into a relieved smirk. “Oh, they can’t be that bad.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Well, I don’t have another class for a couple hours. You can show me over some coffee or something? If you have time?” Charlie queried, her voice and expression hopeful.

Vaggie tried to hide her utter shock at the offer, then mentally berated herself. Getting coffee with a new acquaintance wasn’t weird. “Y-yeah, sure. Don’t have another class for a while, either. Um, there’s a Dunkin on Main.” There was a much nicer, less franchise-y place a bit closer, but Vaggie’s budget was extremely limited and she didn’t particularly enjoy coffee, so cheaper was better. She hoped Charlie wouldn’t be offended by the suggestion.

“A Dunkin?” Charlie asked, looking a bit embarrassed to have to get clarification.

Vaggie blinked with disbelief. “Dunkin Donuts? It’s a… donut and coffee place. There’s… actually a lot of them? All over?”

“Oh, right! I know that,” The tall woman said with the enthusiasm of a person that did not actually ‘know that.’

Vaggie squinted, an amused grin on her face as she took a few backward steps down the sidewalk, beckoning to the other woman while she twisted around. Charlie took the hint and fell into step. As they walked, Vaggie tossed a careful glance to her side. Charlie's gaze was jumping around, her eyes wide and eager to match the huge grin on her face. She looked like a little kid, soaking in anything and everything she could as they walked. It was almost like she had never seen the outside world before. Was she a rich shut-in’s kid or something? First time in the ‘real world’ among the proletariat, as it were? It was an odd thing for a grown woman to be doing, no matter the reason behind it. But regardless, Vaggie found it endearing and quickly began to bask in the aura of pure happiness practically radiating off of the woman.

“Thanks, by the way,” Charlie said suddenly as they walked, “for helping with my watch. And for the notes.”

“You’re welcome,” Vaggie said with a nervous chuckle before she hastily continued, “for the watch. But don’t thank me for the notes yet. You haven’t seen them.”

“So-o-o,” an amused voice drawled. A short, stocky woman with close-cropped, scruffy black and orange-dyed hair jumped to her feet behind Vaggie.

Vaggie jolted forward, nearly tripping on a lifted edge of old concrete as she spun to face her friend. “Jesus Christ, Amber.”

Vaggie's friend had been lying in wait, obscured by a section of neatly trimmed square hedge that lined the porch of the tiny brick home. “Gonna tell me about your new friend?”

“I fucking hate when you do that,” Vaggie growled as a look of feigned annoyance crossed her face.

“Well?” Amber insisted, dusting mulch and pine needles from her deliberately-torn pants as she slid around to block Vaggie’s path. Her heavy, studded leather boots thumped on the sidewalk as she squared up with her friend.

Vaggie flushed, but maintained her irritated expression as she shouldered past the woman in front of her. “She’s just… she needed some help and asked if I wanted to get a coffee before her next class. Not a big deal,” she grunted, shoving her hands into the pockets of her baggy jeans.

“Vags, you hate coffee,” Amber teased good-naturedly as she matched her friend’s gait.

Vaggie snorted dismissively, but couldn’t fight the heat in her cheeks. She had been fully expecting this interrogation the moment Amber had happened by as she and Charlie had been chatting over coffee. Vaggie had been mortified and incredibly glad that Charlie had been sitting with her back to the huge storefront window that faced the street. The obnoxious grin that Amber had plastered directly against the glass and the double-thumbs-up enthusiastically thrown their way would have been hard to miss and embarrassing to explain. Vaggie was begrudgingly grateful that Amber had deigned to remain outside and leave them be. The fact that she hadn't called Vaggie that night to gush and demand a detailed recounting had been a downright miracle.

Amber leaned forward to direct a smug smirk at Vaggie, a silver piercing adding a flash of emphasis to her raised eyebrow. “Well? What’s her name?”

“Charlie,” Vaggie mumbled, turning her head to try and hide her face.

“Charlie, huh? A dude name! That’s rad,” Amber said with an approving nod.

“I'm pretty sure it's short for ‘Charlotte,’” Vaggie quipped with a snort.

“Either wa-a-ay,” Amber drawled as she rolled her eyes, “Seems like she was enjoying herself.” The punkish woman butted her shoulder heavily into Vaggie. “Did you get her number?” A mischievous grin curled her lips.

Vaggie refused to answer and picked up her pace, her hands still ensconced in her pockets. If Amber knew she was actually actively thumbing at a little folded piece of paper containing Charlie’s pager and dorm phone numbers… Vaggie didn’t need her friend getting that worked up. Plus, the likelihood of anything more than a casual friendship coming from this meeting was slim to none. Vaggie had very little faith in herself with regards to relationships and Charlie just happening to be gay, and single was a pipe dream, at best.

“Where’s she from? I’ve definitely never seen her around here before. She’s hard to miss.”

“Don’t you have a class to get to?” Vaggie retorted, forcefully trying to redirect the conversation. The truth was that she didn’t know where Charlie was from. When posed the question over their coffees yesterday, the blonde woman had begun to fidget before hemming and hawing until the subject changed. All that Vaggie could figure was that it was somewhere quite a distance from this crappy little upstate college town and it was hot. At the moment, Vaggie’s best guess was Texas or Arizona. Maybe New Mexico? The lack of some kind of accent was weird, but Charlie was kinda weird, so why not?

Amber laughed and gave Vaggie a friendly punch on the shoulder, light enough that the half dozen or so rings adorning her fingers didn’t cause any actual pain. “I’ve got a class same time as you and not too far from yours, so I figured I’d tag along.” She leaned forward, her expression taking on a more genuine air. “Listen, I’m just glad to see you being social for a change. You deserve some happy shit now and then, girl. Take advantage of it.”

Vaggie snorted and gave Amber a mellow smirk as her friend’s uncanny ability to break through her dour exterior surfaced. “Thanks.”

Amber just smiled and walked along quietly for a few paces before she began to lean toward her friend. She tilted her head, a sly look on her face as she addressed Vaggie quietly. “She is fucking hot, though, right? Fly as hell.”

Vaggie coughed in surprise, the flush returning to her cheeks along with her scowl. “How would you know?”

The orange-haired woman tried to look innocent, though her eyes were alight with amusement. “Hey, just ‘cause I don’t wanna buy anything doesn’t mean I can’t window shop.”

A huff of laughter escaped Vaggie’s lips as she rolled her eyes. She sucked in a huge breath, trying to get her mind off of Charlie and on to the typography class she was currently traveling to. Amber held her enormous grin as they walked side-by-side, but she opted to remain silent the rest of the journey to campus, leaving Vaggie alone with her entirely uncontrollable thoughts. Vaggie was an expert at getting into her own head and Amber was keenly aware of this. Her silence was likely yet another bizarre tactic to get Vaggie worked up enough to spill some beans about the blonde-haired woman and Vaggie was determined not to give Amber the satisfaction.

When Amber finally bid her friend farewell Vaggie realized putting Charlie out of her mind was a lost cause.

Her instructor ran the class through their first drafting project and everybody split off to individual drawing tables to begin their work.

Vaggie stared down at her notes and chewed the inside of her lip. The assignment was to take a well-known serif typeface, choose a specific font, and then replicate, from scratch, two letters in both upper and lower case. ‘Times New Roman’ had been an easy enough choice, the instructor had laid out sheets of sample alphabets in numerous styles for the students to take as reference, but the letters… Vaggie’s pen tip traced over—for the dozenth time—the ‘C’ and ‘H’ she had written out in the margins of her notebook. It lingered for a moment as she tried to stifle her awkward and insistent thoughts. She felt like a kid wrestling with their first real crush—unbalanced and completely at the mercy of her hormones. It was agitating her more than she would have cared to admit.

With a sharp sigh, Vaggie scrunched her face and roughly scribbled over the ‘H,’ closing the top and angling out the trailing leg so that it looked more like an ‘R.’ For good measure, she made a few more aggressive passes over the ‘C.’ So they matched. Satisfied that she would avoid any scrutiny from Amber, Vaggie pulled her drafting tools from her bag and set about her task with stubborn, forced focus.

Chapter Text

1993, Late September

“Hey, thank you so much for the notes. It was Anson, right?”

The young, cargo-short-wearing man Charlie had been talking to put on an enthusiastic smile as his chest puffed out a bit. “Yep, and not a problem. Keep ‘em as long as you need.”

“I'll have these back to you by tomorrow,” Charlie replied with a polite smile as she neatly tucked a small stack of papers into the bag at her hip. She could hear excited whispers as her classmate withdrew to rejoin the group of people waiting near the door for him. Charlie turned and offered Vaggie a triumphant grin to which Vaggie responded with an incredulous smirk and a shake of her head.

“See? I told you your notes weren't a problem,” Charlie said as she and Vaggie made their way out of the building.

“You made that look easy,” Vaggie said with a huff of amusement.

“It was easy. I just had to ask,” Charlie said, quirking an eyebrow down at Vaggie as a dubious expression briefly crossed her face. She looked like she wanted to say something, but had changed her mind suddenly. “What? It was!” Charlie pouted.

The shorter woman hesitated for a moment and then sighed with a soft smile. “Fair enough,” Vaggie finally said with a shrug. “So, do you want to make some Xeroxes or…?”

“Nope!” Charlie chirped. “We’ll retain stuff better if we do it by hand.” She gave the bag at her hip a pat. “And since we don't have our classes until later, I figured we could find a place to study.”

There was a brief pause as Vaggie considered and then she nodded. “Works for me.”

Charlie caught the faintest impression of excitement breaking through Vaggie's overt appearance of nonchalance.

A little tingle shivered down Charlie’s spine, feeding into the sense of pure novelty that this burgeoning friendship had kindled in her. Here was someone that seemed to have no ulterior motives and was genuinely enthusiastic about spending time with her. Charlie was free of Hell and all that entailed—at least for now—and it was already going so well.

“Lead the way,” Charlie said excitedly as she stepped to the side, gesturing for Vaggie to go first.

“Okay, uh,” Vaggie said, squinting as she took a moment to think before she perked up, “Oh! There's some picnic tables across campus that I like to use. They're a little out-of-the-way; quiet. We could copy notes there?”

“Sure!”

Vaggie started off and Charlie fell into step before once more turning her attention to what was around her. She just could not get enough of her surroundings no matter where she went up here. Her entire two centuries of life in Hell had given Charlie such a skewed view of reality that her baseline for normal was thrown completely awry. The brightness, colors, sounds, the people and animals. Just mortal life itself… it was so rich and intoxicating. The overbearing morass that pervaded Hell didn't exist here. People weren’t assholes by default. She wasn’t a Capital-P Princess up here. It was incredibly liberating.

Every so often Charlie would shift her attention back to her friend and find the woman trying to obscure a clandestine glance Charlie's way. Her initial reaction was that something weird was going on with her glamour, but Vaggie hadn't reacted appropriately for something like that, so Charlie had allowed herself to relax. Her curiosity about it did not, however. Maybe it was how she was dressing? It didn't seem outlandish, but Charlie did tend to get a lot of attention, so maybe she would need to reassess. Vaggie might have some input. Charlie made a mental note to bring it up if the right moment presented itself.

Thus far the pair had been traversing on one of the sidewalks that crisscrossed the campus, but now Vaggie directed them into the grass. “There's a shortcut this way,” she explained, leading them toward a stand of tall, dark pines that stood, spreading in a perpendicular line from the building ahead on their right. After a few dozen yards, Vaggie broke off of the grass onto a mulched area under the pines that was in the beginning stages of an ivy takeover. The women followed a thin break in the foliage below their feet that was likely from traffic like this. Vaggie pushed a large branch out of the way and held it aside as Charlie passed through and out from under the looming trees. She responded with a bubbly “thanks!” and stepped further into the clearing.

A handful of worn and lichen-covered picnic tables were scattered in the small, grassy area that abutted the side of the huge campus building, obscured by a ring of pine trees. The proper entrance was situated across from where they had come; just an old, cracking sidewalk being slowly devoured by the earth around it from where it lay cradled in a break in the trees. Charlie could see the remains of an old split rail fence. The surroundings were filled with birdsong and the nearest road was obscured by another building nearby, masking much of the noise from passing vehicles.

“See? Nice’n quiet. I used to come here with my dad when I was younger,” Vaggie said, walking by Charlie, who was lingering as she looked around.

Charlie watched as the dark-haired woman selected a table, pausing for a moment to run her hand over the top. Her face looked a little pensive for a moment before she swung her bag around onto the surface, the heavy textbook inside landing with a thump. She scratched a fingernail at the thoroughly-pitted wooden surface. "Sorry, they're kinda beat."

“Oh its fine,” Charlie assured as she set her leather satchel next to Vaggie’s blue-and-tan backpack, sliding her legs in front of the bench seat to plop down next to Vaggie.

Vaggie unzipped her bag and withdrew her composition book, the graphic design textbook, and a little fabric pencil case that she set on the surface of the table. Vaggie cast a glance over at the woman next to her as she fetched up a ballpoint pen.

“So, um,” Vaggie started, pausing to clear her throat, “How do you want to do this?”

Charlie tapped her fingertips on her lips as she considered. “Well, let’s just copy Anson’s notes first. Then we should probably read that text the instructor assigned and just take notes as we go.” She perked up then, back going straight in her excitement. “Or! How about we flip-flop. One of us can copy notes while the other reads and takes their own notes. Then we switch, and at the end we can compare to make sure we’ve got it all.”

Vaggie’s eyebrows rose and she nodded, looking impressed. “That’s actually a really good idea,” she offered before letting out a little snort of laughter. “Better than what my dumb ass would come up with, anyway.”

“Hey. You’re not dumb,” Charlie countered.

“How can you be so sure? You’ve only known me for a few days,” Vaggie retorted with a smirk.

“I can tell,” the blonde stated with a firm nod. She flipped open her bag and pulled out the borrowed notes, her own composition book—the cover was red, of course—and a handful of pencils.

“Don’t be surprised if I prove you wrong,” Vaggie said with a laugh as she opened the notebook in her hands and turned it so that Charlie could see it right-side-up. “I mean-“ Vaggie began, flipping to her page of decidedly-useless notes drowning in doodles, “-exhibit A.”

Charlie took the book, much to Vaggie’s initial surprise, and peered at it with interest. “I didn’t get a good look at this over coffee,” she said as she scanned the page. Small ballpoint animals of all kinds traversed across the paper, many which had been shaded and textured with pleasant geometric pen strokes. Flowers and leaves wound their way among them as eye-catching patterns of shapes and lines spread out along the margins. A couple of interesting, sharp-angled “S” figures were scattered in the free spaces. “These are amazing,” Charlie commented, eyes bright. “I absolutely adore this little guy,” she said gleefully, turning the page to point at a tiny, curly-horned goat that was perched on a rough sketch of the Sphynx.

Charlie saw Vaggie flush a little bit and then hesitate. “I-uh… thanks,” Vaggie said quietly with her eyes turned down, obviously unsure of how to receive the compliment. The blonde neatly slid the book back over the table to its owner where Vaggie smoothed her hands over it fretfully.

“Don’t throw that page out. If you don’t want to keep it, I would love to have it,” Charlie said with a grin.

Vaggie just nodded shyly and busied herself with flipping open the textbook to the appropriate page.

“Right!” Charlie said with enthusiasm as she situated Anson’s notes next to her on the table before cracking her note book open. “Let’s take care of these notes.”

The sound of her phone ringing spurred Charlie to pull her eyes from the textbook and notes she had spread over her lap. She hurried to reach her desk, pushing her study materials unceremoniously aside. She flicked the little silver radio that she had been listening to off, slid from of her bed hastily, and reached for the curved beige handset a few feet away.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetie! It's dad. How was your first week?” Charlie’s father asked, sounding chipper and maybe a touch anxious.

“It was good!” Charlie said happily. “We just finished reviewing basic darkroom techniques in my main photography class. I’ve gotta shoot some photos for next week.”

“Did you figure out your notes problem?

“Yes, actually! I ran into one of the guys from class and he was happy enough to share. I sat down with Vaggie and we copied them over.”

“Maggie? Made a friend already?”

“She’s really cool. Pretty reserved, kinda keeps to herself, but pleasant to talk to once she opens up. She does these really amazing little drawings.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Lucifer said, hesitating, “Just, remember, no getting too attached. You do have to come home once you graduate.”

“I know, I know. She’s just a friend,” Charlie said dismissively.

“Do anything fun other than school?” her father inquired.

Charlie thought for a moment, eyes going wide with delight as she thought of a sufficient answer. “I got a Blockbuster card!”

Lucifer laughed at that. “Exciting.”

“I also found a place to buy a tape deck,” Charlie continued cheerfully, casting a glance over at the sleek, button-covered black box with its distinct plastic compartment. It was resting on a cheap shelf near her dresser.

“You do like your music, just like your mom,” Lucifer commented warmly.

“The guy at the store was telling me about the different brands and models they had. While he was talking, I was kinda looking through and saw one that had a little window on the front that none of the others had. It pops out to flip the cassette automatically. It’s really cool to watch, I think you’d love it. Really ingenious. I had to get it,” Charlie gushed enthusiastically. “The salesman was surprised that I wanted to buy it. I guess it was kind of expensive.”

“How expensive?” Lucifer asked.

“Um… around fifteen hundred? I have no idea if that’s a lot in human money, though,” Charlie answered as she stood and crossed over to the aforementioned tape deck. She had to tug the coiled phone cord and bounce it up over the back of her desk chair to be able to reach the shelf.

“I’m pretty sure it is, Char,” Lucifer said and Charlie could hear his grimace through the phone. “Try not to be too conspicuous with that, sweetheart. Low profile.”

“I’ll be more careful, dad, don’t worry.”

“Alright,” Lucifer said, the little note of anxiety returning to his voice. “Well, I just wanted to see how your week went and say goodnight. We miss you.”

Charlie smiled as she hit ‘eject’ on the tape deck and watched the compartment slide neatly forward. “Thanks, dad. Miss you too. Love you.”

“Love you too, little duckling,” Lucifer replied happily.

“Say hi to mom for me.”

“Will do, have a good night,” Lucifer said with a smile in his voice.

“Night!” Charlie replied before the sound of her father hanging up followed promptly by an off-hook tone began to sound in her ear. She hit the button once more to close the deck before she stood and crossed back to her desk. She settled the handset neatly on its receiver before gathering up the cord and tossing it back over the side of her desk with a clack. Charlie stood, chewing her lip as she shot a look around the sparse room. She was going to need to brighten this place up over the next few weeks. And pick up some music to actually play. Maybe that was why the salesman was shocked, she had offhandedly mentioned that she didn’t even have any cassettes yet.

Well, Charlie had encouraged Vaggie to give her a call over the weekend. She probably knew where to get music around here. A little tingle of excitement skittered down her spine and she found herself giddy, hoping that Vaggie would follow through on the offer.

It had taken Vaggie an hour to work up the courage to dial Charlie’s number the next day. When she finally managed it, she nearly had her eardrum blown out by the woman’s explosively delighted greeting and was still rubbing idly at her ear as she set off on her walk to where they had decided to rendezvous. The call had been pretty brief; Charlie gushed about how happy she was that Vaggie had called, asked if she was busy today, and then promptly begged Vaggie to take her on a tour to the local record store.

Much to Vaggie’s relief, she did not have plans on this particular Saturday, so having to explain to either her mom or Amber why she had to ditch them was not a concern. There was absolutely no chance she was going to turn Charlie down, existing plans or not.

The blonde, dressed in a pair of high-top jeans and a denim jacket over a red tank top, was waving energetically as Vaggie approached. Charlie was bouncing on the balls of her feet, eyes shining with enthusiasm when Vaggie finally joined her on the sidewalk. She had her hands stuffed casually in the pockets of her baggie jeans, but pulled one free to offer a small wave to Charlie when they were within speaking distance.

“I am so excited,” Charlie blurted after their greeting.

Vaggie huffed with laughter as she set her feet in motion. “I couldn’t tell,” she quipped as she raised her eyebrows at Charlie, who was striding at her side.

Charlie snorted and inhaled deeply, clasping her hands behind her back in what Vaggie assumed was an attempt to calm herself down. “I’m just looking forward to getting some music. I definitely want to get stuff I can sing to.”

“You like to sing?” Vaggie asked, curious. She found herself wondering if the woman was any good.

“I do! A lot. I think I’m okay at it,” Charlie replied. “I can sing for you sometime, if you want.”

Vaggie was taken aback by the offer, a little bit of warmth flushing into her cheeks. “Um, okay, sure. I’d like that,” she managed to answer after a moment of hesitation.

Charlie tossed a smile down at her before pulling in another breath and going silent for a few minutes to attend to her usual habit of soaking in the world around them.

“So, your name is really interesting. Is it a nickname?” Charlie asked suddenly, her strides relaxed.

“Uh, yeah. Short for Vagnera,” Vaggie replied, thumbs hooked on her pockets as the pair paused to check for traffic at a crosswalk.

“I have never heard that before,” Charlie commented as they resumed, stepping down off of the curb.

“Right. I’m not shocked. My dad named me after his favorite flower, a false lily of the valley, but went with an outdated term for it that’s not really in use anymore. I guess he didn’t think ‘Maianthemum’ sounded like something you should call your baby.” Vaggie smirked thoughtfully as she tossed a look down to her feet, kicking a crumbled bit of concrete that had come loose as they passed. It skittered off into some weeds.

Charlie chuckled. “It’s a mouthful, for sure.”

“He was a bit of a science nerd,” Vaggie offered, “Actually had a degree in biology; plants and stuff were his specialty.” The smile fell from Vaggie’s face as she continued looking at the ground.

“Were…?”

“Uh, yeah, he’s… um, not around anymore,” Vaggie answered quietly.

Charlie blinked and her smile faded instantly to a soft frown. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

The genuinely sympathetic tone the blonde woman had used drew Vaggie’s gaze up. She looked into Charlie’s face, the quality of her voice mirrored in her concerned expression. Vaggie hesitated, briefly locking eyes with her friend. “Thanks,” she managed to say as a little wave of anxiety swirled in her chest, “it is what it is.” Vaggie turned her attention back on the sidewalk, sucking in a deep breath before she raised her head to look down the road.

Charlie remained thoughtfully silent as their feet carried them another half a block. Vaggie saw the distinctive seafoam green metal roof of the record store in the distance and pointed it out. “Oh, hey. Almost there.”

Beside her, Charlie made an excited gasp, and suddenly there was a little bit of bounce in her step. The blonde looked like she was ready to break out into a full sprint and Vaggie had to temper an amused grin.

“So, you said you're looking for cassettes? Anything in particular? I can help you look.”

Charlie smiled down at Vaggie, her eyes crinkling. “No, nothing in particular. Was just gonna see what looked interesting,” she answered, swinging her arms happily. “Maybe you have some recommendations?”

Vaggie grimaced. “I, uh, a little? My friend Amber would be the better person for that. She’s a big music fan. Mostly into rock, metal, and punk at the moment.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she knows a shitload about other genres, too, though. Keeps up on what's popular.”

“You’ll have to introduce me!” Charlie quipped with enthusiasm, eyes cast forward as they neared the shop with its vibrant metal roof. A backlit sign rested firmly above the storefront that read ‘Audio-Logical.

Vaggie’s lips curled into a soft smile as she watched Charlie’s face light up. A little burst of energy hit Vaggie’s guts and she found herself compelled to skip ahead, moving quickly up the stairs to push the door to the tiny vestibule open. She held it with one hand as Charlie slid by her, Vaggie hastily shifting to push the other door open, as well. A little bell jingled as Charlie continued forward.

Vaggie’s efforts were rewarded with a wide smile and a bizarrely intense feeling of satisfaction that grew tenfold at the awed reaction of Charlie as she got her first look at the inside of the record shop.

Racks upon racks of CDs, cassettes, and vinyls spread out before them, each type of media set in its own massive section of the store. Choice albums were set more prominently in baskets on the walls—in the case of the vinyls—or propped up in special plastic display cases—this was for the CDs—among the tables and shelves. Covers of all kinds battled for attention, making it hard to pick a place to look first. Charlie was demonstrating this perfectly as her attention flicked quickly from one thing to the next as she eagerly moved further in.

“Hello-o-o, ladies!” a bearded, middle-aged man said with enthusiasm as he dropped a box on the counter, a label gun nearly bouncing off the top as a result of the jostling.

“Hi!” Charlie replied excitedly.

The man smiled warmly at them before his expression changed to one of recognition. “Hey! You’re Amber’s friend, right?”

“Guilty,” Vaggie said with a nod as she sidled up next to Charlie.

“I’ve definitely not had the pleasure of meeting you yet, miss,” he chortled with a smile to Charlie as he set the label gun aside and tore the packing tape from the box.

“Nope, first time visiting,” she replied, her smile growing somehow wider. “I’m sure I’ll be back, too. Just decided to start a music collection.”

“Is that right? Ha! Well, we’ve got anything you could want and if we don’t, we can get it. Take your time! You know where to find me,” he offered enthusiastically as he pulled the flaps up and began placing plastic-wrapped CDs out on the counter.

Charlie turned to Vaggie, teeth flashing within the smile that had yet to diminish since they’d arrived. “So, where do we look first?”

“Well, you said you want cassettes, so…” Vaggie said, leaning a little so she could point toward an enormous wall situated behind Charlie. A significant number of shelves containing cassettes covered the entire surface.

Charlie made a tiny squeal and spun without hesitation, trotting to the area Vaggie had pointed out.

“Oh gosh, I have no idea where to even start. You’ve gotta have something to recommend,” Charlie said with a look that was half grimace, half pleading.

Vaggie stifled laughter and began to scan the cassettes tucked into their little individual slots. “I do,” she said, eliciting a relieved grin from the woman. After a few moments, Vaggie plucked a cassette and handed it to Charlie, who took it carefully and looked it over.

“Selena?”

“Yeah, she’s a really popular latin singer. Tejano music. It’s pretty poppy, very latin. Her voice is gorgeous,” Vaggie offered. “That album is called ‘entra a mi mundo.’ My mom has this one.”

“Sold,” Charlie said with a smirk. “Who else is popular right now?”

“Hm,” Vaggie said as she took a gander at the offerings, trying to pick out familiar names. “Oh, here, Madonna,” she said as she pulled the case to hand it to Charlie.

“True Blue, huh?”

“She’s more mainstream pop. That album’s good, though.”

Charlie stacked the cassette on the other as Vaggie continued browsing. “I’m more into punk and rock. AC/DC are great. Back in Black is my favorite,” she said, pointing out the album.

Charlie reached over to snag it, looking at it briefly before she added that one to her pile, as well.

“Aerosmith is alright. Asia, Blondie, Foreigner, The Police, R.E.M., Styx, all good rock stuff.” Vaggie began quickly skimming through the shelves alphabetically by genre, pointing out each album as she listed it. “Over here’s some punk stuff. Bad Religion is good. Recipe for Hate is their newest album. Misfits is another one I like, they can be a little rough, though. The Ramones is classic, can’t really go wrong with anything there. Riot, The Privilege of Power is pretty new. One of my favorite albums of theirs, actually.”

Vaggie hadn’t really been paying attention as she made her recommendations. When she turned back to Charlie she couldn't help bursting into laughter at the sight of the blonde trying to balance about two dozen cassettes in one arm. Obviously, she had grabbed every album Vaggie had pointed out, as well as any others made by the bands she had listed.

“Holy shit, Charlie. Here,” Vaggie said through her laughter as she reached to take the stacks from her. “Think you got enough?”

Charlie smirked, her face flushing, “For now.”

Vaggie just shook her head. “This is going to be pricey, you realize?”

The blonde just shrugged. “I’m not worried about it.”

Vaggie snorted. Going by the watch currently strapped around her friend’s wrist, Vaggie had no real doubts about Charlie being able to afford her hefty stack of music.

The women made their way back to the counter, Vaggie carefully setting the cassettes on the glass countertop. The total was counted up and Charlie pulled a wad of cash from her pocket to take care of it. The delighted proprietor quipped about looking forward to seeing his new favorite customer again soon and sent them on their way.

Vaggie had been intending on heading home after their little trip, but Charlie insisted on treating Vaggie to lunch. They found the nearby diner and enjoyed a quick meal, chatting pleasantly about Charlie’s new music while they ate. Vaggie flat out refused to let Charlie pay for her food as they finished up. She didn’t have much money, but diner food was cheap enough. Vaggie escorted the blonde back to her dorm building and said her goodbyes, promising to give Charlie another call later to get an update on her musical experience. When she did find the time to ring Charlie up, Vaggie nearly collapsed in a fit of laughter when Charlie, voice dripping with disappointment and embarrassment, informed Vaggie that she had forgotten to buy speakers.

“I’ll bring Amber around tomorrow. She’ll get you sorted,” Vaggie said, her cheeks hurting from the intensity of the grin that was plastered across her face.

Chapter Text

1993, Late September

“Hey, ma?” Vaggie asked as she carefully lifted the freshly-washed plate that her mother had placed on the drying rack. “You okay with me hanging out with Amber tomorrow, early afternoon?” Vaggie gently began wiping it down with a hand towel.

“Just as long as you're back for the church dinner,” the older woman said with a nod, “Yeah, that's fine.”

Vaggie tried to temper her smile as she stacked the dried plate neatly, but a sideways glance by her mother had caught it.

“Just Amber?” the older woman asked, eyebrows raised as she turned her head to regard to daughter.

Vaggie hesitated for a beat. “Uh, Amber is helping someone get their sound system set up,” she said, carefully sidestepping the truth that she had arranged this and Amber didn't even know about it yet. For whatever reason, Vaggie didn't want her mom to know about Charlie. “So, I was just gonna hang out while she does that.”

“Do you know this other person?” the shorter, middle-aged woman said as she placed a wet saucepan into the drying rack.

“They're… uh… a new student. Started a little late. I don't know them very well, no,” Vaggie answered, trying to sound casual while her anxiety was whipped into a frenzy by her mother's scrutiny.

“Mm,” the older woman hummed thoughtfully, eyebrows still raised as she fished a pan from the water tub in the sink to begin scrubbing it down.

“You can call Amber, if you wanna check,” Vaggie offered as calmly as she could. She knew Amber would have her back, with or without all of the information.

“No, mija, I trust you. You're an adult,” her mother said with a smile and a shake of her head.

Vaggie felt guilt grow heavy in her stomach but did her best to ignore it. She peered briefly at her mother and could still see a smile on her face. Vaggie clenched her teeth, trying to brace herself as the anxiety tightened in her chest and was joined by a trickle of dread.

“I know you'd let me know if you were meeting up with a boy, ¿sí?”

There it was. “Yes, ma,” Vaggie answered, making a valiant effort to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Her mother nodded and said nothing more while they finished cleaning up the evening’s dishes. Vaggie dried her hands before she swept out of the kitchen and into the narrow hallway where she swung herself around the baluster and hurried up the stairs. She shut her bedroom door firmly and took a moment to breathe, grimacing.

“Every fucking chance she gets,” Vaggie muttered in a barely audible whisper to herself. She shook her head and crossed to her bed, flopping belly-down to bury her face in her comforter. After a moment she rolled over onto her back and reached for the handset of the phone on her nightstand. She held it above her face while she punched in Amber's number, then shifted it to her ear.

The ring tone sounded a few times before Amber answered. “Hello?”

“Hey.”

“Vags! What's up?” Amber inquired with delight.

“How busy are you tomorrow?”

“Depends,” Amber replied with a hint of interest.

“I, uh, was wondering if you could do me a favor. Music related,” Vaggie began, steeling herself for the explosive response she was likely going to be bombarded by shortly.

“Mm-hm?”

“You recall Charlie?”

“Y-e-e-s-s-s,” Amber drawled, and Vaggie winced at the rapidly building energy in just that one word.

“We went to A.L. to pick up some cassettes for her new deck, but she doesn't have speakers. I was wondering if you might have any she could borrow?”

Amber screeched loud enough that Vaggie had to pull the handset away from her head. “Fuck yes! She got you socializing! I could cry!”

“Shut the fuck up,” Vaggie groaned, “I just showed her where the place was and suggested some stuff she should listen to.”

“Sounds like a date to me.”

Vaggie's face was instantly burning. “Seriously? I've known her for less than a week! God damn it,” she retorted with distress. “I've got you digging at me about girls and my mom up my ass about boys. Fuckin' hell.”

“Ja-hee-sus, Vags, I'm just teasin'.” Vaggie coukd hear Amber cackling.

“She’s probably doesn't even swing that way,” Vaggie continued quietly, rubbing her hand over her forehead with frustration.

“Okay, okay,” Amber acquiesced with a laugh. “Real talk. You said she needs speakers?”

“Yeah.” Vaggie made a disgruntled sigh. “She bought a new deck and didn't get speakers. She wanted me to call her after she had a chance to listen to some stuff, but was all upset when I did.”

“W-wait, she asked you to call her? And you did? Jesus f-“ Amber sputtered before she cut herself off to take a breath, “Okay. So. Speakers. Does she need an amp, too?”

“Uh, I don't know. I didn't ask. I assume the salesman would have been dumb to miss trying to sell her one of those."

“Those hi-fi store sales guys are fucking morons. She forgot speakers, Vags. I'm gonna say the chance that she forgot to pick up an amp is pretty high.”

Amber began to laugh on the other end of the line and Vaggie couldn't stifle a chuckle of her own. “Yeah… you’ve got a point."

“I've got some speakers and an amp she can use. I was thinking of getting rid of them anyway. Just got new ones,” Amber informed Vaggie after a moment of silence.

“That's fantastic. Thank you,” Vaggie said with genuine relief.

“Anything for my best bud.”

“You sure you don’t mind lending her the stuff?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Honestly, she can just keep it. It’s not the best equipment, kinda old, but it’ll be fine for a little dorm room,” Amber continued casually.

“You sure?”

“If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have offered,” Amber insisted.

“Okay, cool. Would you be able to do this like… early afternoon or something? I promised mom I’d be home to help her get ready for a church dinner thing by two,” she finished with a bit of annoyance coloring her voice.

“For sure. I’ve got the usual Sunday breakfast with my parents, then I’m free.”

“What time you wanna hit Charlie’s?”

“How about noon?”

“Solid. I’ll give her a call back in the morning and let her know.

“And get me the address.”

“Right. I'll ask for that, and her dorm number. Seeya tomorrow.”

“S-e-e-e-y-a-a-a,” was Amber's sing-song farewell.

“Ah, I’m super glad you came!” Charlie gushed as she opened her door for Vaggie.

“I said I’d bring Amber over today, so,” Vaggie said, throwing her arms wide, “here I am.”

Charlie huffed with amusement and then peered over Vaggie’s shoulder. “Where is she?”

Vaggie snorted, “She must be running late, hopefully not too much, though.” She pursed her lips and tossed a glance at Charlie. “Sorry.”

Charlie gave Vaggie an amused, if slightly disgruntled look. “Why are you apologizing?” she said, humor lacing her tone.

Vaggie just shrugged and took a few steps further into the room, eyes drifting about. “So, uh, what do you wanna do while we wait? Study?”

Charlie closed her door and turned, pawing at her chin with her fingertips, thinking. “Nah! We can just talk or something,”

“Okay, sure.”

Charlie watched Vaggie with mild amusement. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, so Charlie shifted herself over to her desk, pulling her chair out to sit and give Vaggie space. She gestured to her neatly-made bed. “You can sit, if you want.”

Vaggie’s attention flicked to the bed for a moment before she looked back at Charlie with a shake of her head. “I’m ok standing. Thanks though,” she replied politely.

There were a few moments of awkward silence as Charlie pursed her lips in thought. “What kind of stuff is there to do around here? I don't know the area at all,” she inquired.

“Uh,” Vaggie chirped thoughtfully as she moved to lean her back on the wall behind her. “There's not much in town, but there's a roller rink next town over. Maybe a fifteen-minute drive?”

Charlie perked up. “Oh, that's fun!”

“We have a crappy little mall that's within walking distance, but there's a really big one like an hour north,” Vaggie continued, squinting. “Oh, we do have a movie theater downtown and a drive-in just outside. There's a few local shops, if you're into that kind of thing.”

“I'm interested in pretty much everything,” Charlie responded with cheerful enthusiasm.

Charlie watched Vaggie try to temper a smile and felt a little breath of warmth brush down her spine.

A knock at the door spurred Vaggie to push herself off of the wall she had been leaning on while she and Charlie chatted. Vaggie pulled the door open and Charlie could see another woman, just a hair shorter than Vaggie, standing with a huge duffel bag on her back and a bulky black device tucked under her arm. She grinned, her numerous piercings flashing in the hallway lights. Her black-and-orange hair was hard to miss.

“Charlie, this is Amber. Amber, Charlie,” Vaggie said as she allowed her friend to step into the room so that she could shut the door again.

“Nice to meetcha!” Amber said with a huge smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you!”

Charlie felt a little flutter in her stomach and shot a curious glance to Vaggie, who had blanched a bit. “Nice things, I hope?” she asked with a laugh as she turned her eye back on the newcomer.

“Well, you like music, so I’d say that’s nice,” Amber responded with a chortle of her own as she crossed the room. She carefully lowered the black device under her arm to Charlie’s desk and then set her duffel bag on the floor, a number of sharp-angled objects clunking around inside. She unzipped the bag and began taking small-ish rectangular objects out. “So, I heard you need speakers?” she inquired.

Embarrassment washed over her as Charlie nodded sheepishly. “Yeah… I have no idea what I'm doing with this stuff.”

“Everyone's gotta start somewhere,” Amber said with a shrug, the smile never leaving her face. She placed a number of wire bundles next to the speakers and then turned back to Charlie. “You need an amp, too?”

Charlie grimaced. She didn't even know what that was.

Amber snorted, reading Charlie's very-obvious answer on her face. “Don't worry, I gotcha,” she affirmed as she turned to pat the large black box she had set on the desk.

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” Charlie gushed with relief.

Amber genuinely laughed at that and shook her head as she cast her gaze around the room. It fell to the deck resting on its lackluster shelf. Her eyes went wide and Charlie frowned with concern.

“Oh no, fucking way,” Amber exclaimed, voice dripping with disbelief. “You have a Five-oh-five?" she groaned, rushing forward and dropping to her knees to hold her hands reverently just above the surface of Charlie’s tape deck. She tossed a wide-eyed look over at Charlie, who was a bit taken-aback.

“I, um, yes? Is that good?”

Amber sputtered, completely lost for words as she looked from Charlie, to Vaggie, to the tape deck, and then back at Charlie.

Charlie then shot a glance to Vaggie, who had an eyebrow quirked and appeared to be doing her damndest not to burst into laughter. Vaggie saw Charlie looking at her and shrugged, the poorly-hidden grin on her face growing wider.

Amber sucked in a huge breath as she placed her face in both hands, waited for a brief stretch and then exhaled. Abruptly she clapped her hands together and unplugged the deck from the wall before turning it to expose the back side with great care.

“Everything okay?” Charlie asked timidly.

When Amber didn't answer Vaggie stepped forward with a smile. “Yeah, it's fine. She’s just in the zone at the moment. Hyper-focused.”

“Oh, okay,” Charlie said with a nod, observing as Amber moved to the desk to lift the amplifier and return, setting it—also sideways—next to the deck.

“Ah, shit,” Vaggie groaned abruptly as a tiny electronic beep sounded from her watch. Charlie regarded her curiously. “Damn it, I gotta head out. Promised my mom I'd help her with something today. Sorry,” the dark-haired woman said, looking and sounding properly disappointed.

Charlie frowned, that same disappointment feeding into her. “Bummer. You can come by another time and listen to some music? To study or something?”

Charlie noticed Amber’s head as it twisted toward Vaggie just a touch, her hands slowing as she listened with interest for Vaggie's answer.

Vaggie was briefly caught off-guard by the offer but nodded after a moment. “Sure, sounds good,” she answered with a faint smile.

Amber resumed her work and Charlie could see one of the woman's cheeks dimpled with a grin. Curious. The blonde turned her focus back on Vaggie.

“Awesome! I look forward to it,” Charlie responded with enthusiasm.

Vaggie's smile grew and Charlie could have sworn her cheeks grew a shade darker, but it was hard to tell for sure.

“Talk later,” Vaggie said as she turned and opened the door.

“Seeya!” Charlie answered before the other woman stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut.

Charlie turned back to continue watching Amber meticulously selecting, installing, and organizing cables for a few minutes before she carefully turned the amp straight. With even more care, Amber lifted the tape deck, set it on the amplifier, and adjusted its position until it was just right. The woman lifted the two power cables and plugged them into the nearby outlet. She leaned back and pressed the power buttons on each of the devices, smiling to herself as they glowed to life.

“Okay, so, this should get you going,” Amber said as she stood up, a hand on her hip while she carefully angled one of the satellite speakers. She tossed a glance around and saw the stacks of cassettes set on top of Charlie’s dresser. Amber shifted herself to glance at the collection. “Let’s give it a test,” she murmured, peering closely at the spines of the cassette cases, most still wrapped in their clear protective sleeves. “Hmm… whatcha got here…”

“Vaggie helped me pick them out. I didn’t know where to start so I just grabbed whatever she suggested,” Charlie offered as she hovered nearby.

Amber made a thoughtful hum and nodded her head. She was stroking her chin. “Okay, okay, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Asia,” She started, mumbling the names of the artists as she scanned the offerings, “R.E.M., that’s good. Oh, Riot, fantastic. Misfits, The Ramones.” Amber nodded, apparently pleased. At least until she got to the end. She grumbled. “No Queen? Eagles? Journey? Fleetwood Mac? No Billy Joel? Vaggie, what the fuck. I taught you better than that!” she exclaimed with mock anger after a moment. “Charlie, you and I are gonna have to make a trip to A.L. so I can help you pick out some properly good music.” She tutted to herself and slipped Foreigner’s ‘Agent Provocateur’ album from the cluster of cassettes, neatly peeling away the plastic as she repositioned herself in front of the tape deck.

Charlie leaned to the side for a better angle and could see Amber’s face had lit up with sheer giddiness as she held the cassette and very gently pressed eject. The cassette compartment slid out and the woman practically giggled to herself. “Oh that’s so fucking cool,” she crooned quietly as she gingerly lowered the cassette into place and pressed ‘eject’ once more to load the compartment into place. She hit play and grinned as the tape head smoothly descended and the cassette began to spin. There was a stretch of silence and then…

Charlie stood up straight as sound erupted around them, a shiver rushing down her spine as a sharp drum beat and electric guitar was followed quickly by vocals. “I’m tired of all this cheap talk, when you walk next to me. They say I ain’t good enough for you, why don’t they come and tell me?” the vocalist sang out aggressively. Charlie was immediately enamored.

Amber shifted her attention to the amplifier she had installed, pushing sliders and adjusting knobs until the sound was tweaked to her satisfaction. She stood and stepped back, chest swelling with pride. “Oh wow, even with this old stuff this deck sounds amazing. So clear, and the treble really does punch,” Amber remarked with awe as she crossed her arms over themselves. She shot Charlie a glance.

“It really does…” Charlie agreed, her eyes bright. “Thank you so much. I feel really stupid for not knowing how to get this set up myself.”

“Hey, that’s not a problem. But you’ve probably ruined any other decks for yourself. You can really only go down in quality from here. Unless you pick up a dragon at some point.”

“A dragon?”

“Yeah, Nakamichi Dragon, it doesn’t have the fancy flippy bit on it, but the sound quality is superb,” Amber clarified with a nod. “Really, really expensive though. Even more than this thing,” she added with a gesture to the tape deck, which had just started playing the second song on the cassette. Amber bent with haste to tweak a few more things, squinting with her head cocked slightly, then nodded and straightened again.

The softer synth introduction exploded with sound as the percussion and other instruments joined in suddenly and Charlie held her breath, casting her eyes around at nothing as she let the music soak into her. She was utterly enraptured and soon her head was nodding lightly along, lips moving soundlessly as she immediately began trying to commit the lyrics to memory.

Amber was watching her quietly, eyebrows slightly raised as a soft smirk crossed her lips. She didn’t say anything, allowing Charlie to enjoy the music as the second track wrapped up. “What do you think?” she asked as silence briefly fell.

“Oh, it’s amazing,” Charlie murmured, turning her gaze onto Amber. “I could hug you.”

Amber laughed, “Hug Vaggie, she’s the one who asked me to help you out.”

“Maybe I will,” Charlie said with grin.

Amber snorted and nodded her head as she turned back to the amplifier once more to make a miniscule adjustment. “You’re, uh, welcome to keep this stuff, by the way. It’s old and I don’t need it. Don’t really feel like trying to pawn it off.”

“Wait, really?”

Amber nodded. “Yeah, ‘course.”

“Oh wow… that’s really nice of you, Amber. Thanks.”

“A friend of Vaggie’s is a friend of mine.” Amber smiled again and turned her attention back on the music, head bobbing lightly with the beat. After a long stretch of silence, she turned to regard Charlie thoughtfully. “I wanted to, uh, thank you, too,” Amber began, the humor in her demeanor falling away.

“For what?”

“I haven’t seen Vaggie in this good a mood in a long time. Years.” Amber grimaced a bit. “I’m damn glad she’s being more social, finally. She’s kind of a loner… and I… uh… I don’t think she wants to be that way.”

“I could kinda tell…” Charlie said with a slight frown. A strange heavy sensation settled in her stomach. “But you don’t need to thank me for anything. I dunno,” Charlie said with a shrug. “She was so kind the first day I got here. Helped me fix my watch, I didn’t even have to ask. She’s pleasant to be around, and really funny when she opens up.”

Amber huffed with laughter and smiled. “Yeah, she really is.” The woman sucked in a deep breath and looked back to the sound equipment, as if giving it one final check. “I should probably head out. Got some school shit to get started on that’s due tomorrow,” she said with a laugh and a grimace. She grabbed her duffel bag from the floor, shoving the loops of cord she hadn’t used back into it.

“Oh, ha, yeah, you should probably get on that,” Charlie responded, amused. She watched as Amber closed the bag and hoisted the strap over her shoulder as she stood.

“Oh, uh. I'm heading to a party the weekend after next. One of my cousins is throwing it. If you want, you're welcome to come by. Maybe see if you can talk Vaggie into it, too?” Amber had a hopeful expression on her face.

Charlie sucked in an excited breath, her eyes going wide. “Yes! Of course. I haven't been to a party before!”

Amber gave her a curious look and then smirked. “Alright, cool! We can use my van, even if Vaggie doesn't come.”

“Sure! That's nice of you.”

Amber grinned, nodding. “It's no problem. See ya ‘round. Let me or Vaggie know if you need any other help with this stuff,” Amber added as she made her way to the door and pulled it open.

“Sounds good,” Charlie answered with a nod as she followed, closing the door after Amber tossed a casual wave and headed off down the hallway.

Charlie crossed back to her bed and let herself fall backwards onto the plush surface just as another song began to play. Her mind was buzzing from Vaggie's visit and her brief talk with Amber. Charlie closed her eyes as softer synth notes filled her ears, listening absently as the other instruments joined into the melody. The vocals followed quickly and Charlie found herself drawn in.

“Some people stay all alone and hide,
They don't even wanna know the reason why.
They've given up on finding someone new,
But new love comes, it's gonna come for you,
When true love comes, it's gonna comfort you.”

Charlie breathed in deeply, her mind soaking in the music as her giddy mood began to mellow. The lyrics were stirring up unpleasant thoughts, but the song itself had her captivated.

“Now you say you've got a broken heart.
You oughta know this side of love can leave you torn apart.
Dry your eyes 'cause your heart's gonna mend,
And maybe tonight you'll fall in love again.
Yeah, maybe tonight you'll fall in love again.”

Charlie sighed to herself. Maybe, if the general populace of Hell had a massive change-of-heart while she was up here, she might be able to find a date that wasn't a polished turd when she got back.

“But I know, I know that you're down on love.
But you're wrong, so wrong,
To be down on love.”

Charlie laid on her bed until the cassette played in its entirety two more times, then got to her feet only briefly to swap to another cassette. Madonna, this time. Other than another short break to find food, she spent the rest of the day and night with ‘True Blue on repeat until she forced herself to go to sleep. Tomorrow was a history of graphic design day and Charlie was giddy to chat with Vaggie about the music and the party.

Chapter Text

1993, Mid-October

“Right, here we are!” Amber announced as she angled her van into the entrance of a gravel driveway marked only by a neat brick plinth that held the mailbox for the property. The vehicle crunched up the drive, curving gently through a stand of trees that loomed black around and above them and obscured the house beyond.

Vaggie craned her neck to try and see through the window over Amber's shoulder as the trees made way for a broad, neatly-trimmed lawn. A large, brightly lit and rather expensive-looking single-story house rose up in front of them against a dark sky. Cars had been lined up in the grass along the inner border of trees and Amber steered the van to join them.

Vaggie unbuckled and yanked the sliding door open, hopping out and sliding it shut again as she grabbed the handle of the front passenger door. The appreciative smile on Charlie's face as Vaggie opened the door for her made her stomach flutter pleasantly. Unfortunately, the fluttering turned to a cloying anxious feeling that stuck to the inside of her ribs as she rounded the line of vehicles and saw all of the people excitedly milling about inside and outside of the house.

Amber must have clocked her expression because she clapped a hand on Vaggie's shoulder and squeezed. “Don't worry, Vags, it's my cousins and their friends. All nice people. Nobody is going to care that you're here or know who you are."

Vaggie’s brows pinched together for a moment before Charlie stepped ahead of her and looked back, offering her an encouraging smile. “Let's have fun, okay?” She took the moment to dust off her skin-tight jeans and straighten the low-cut red t-shirt she had on.

Some of Vaggie's reservations eased off. Not all of them. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Amber marched on, waving and yelling boisterously as her presence was noted by the other guests.

Charlie started toward the house next, beckoning for Vaggie to follow, which she did reluctantly. The sound of punk rock music surrounded them. Loud chatter filled the air that made it hard to hear much, which only grew worse as they entered the propped double front doors.

“Oh, he-e-ey. Welcome to the party, babe! Drinks are that way!” shouted a young man in a tank top and long shorts that cut off halfway down his knees. He had a beer in each hand and had spoken directly to Charlie as they stepped into the foyer. Vaggie couldn't stop her brows from furrowing. Something about the way he had looked at Charlie left an unpleasant weight in her stomach.

“Thanks!” Charlie said happily, turning away from the man to say something to Vaggie.

She didn't hear her. Vaggie's eyes had lingered on their greeter for a few moments longer so she caught the blatant glance he'd shot at Charlie's ass as she had turned. Vaggie clenched her teeth and stared after him as he disappeared into the crowd.

“Vaggie?”

Vaggie blinked, her attention snapping back to Charlie. “Shit, I'm sorry, uh…”

“Drinks? Want to get some?”

“I…um,” Vaggie’s anxiety thrashed but she found herself unable to disappoint Charlie. “Sure,” she said with a forced smile, hoping they had literally anything non-alcoholic.

Charlie smiled and began to weave through the crowd, which parted easily for her. Whether it was because of her height or that she was just incredibly good-looking, Vaggie didn't know, but she was uncomfortable with the attention her friend was drawing as she rode in Charlie’s wake.

They arrived in a cavernous kitchen with a substantial amount of counter space dedicated to liquors of all kinds. People were pulling cans of beer and—much to Vaggie's relief—soda from a number of coolers set against a wall. Vaggie immediately angled toward one of the coolers that she knew contained non-alcoholic drinks and lifted a lid, snagging a Dr. Pepper from among the chunks of ice. Charlie had joined her, choosing a Coke before standing up straight to peer about.

Vaggie watched her veer toward the liquor and followed, grabbing an empty solo cup from a stack on the counter. Charlie scanned the mess of bottles carefully and chose a large one with dark liquid in it. Rum. She promptly poured a more-than-necessary amount into her own solo cup.

“Rum and Coke!” she said happily as she cracked the soda open and poured it on top of the liquor. “What do you want?”

Vaggie poured her can and left it on the counter. “I’m good,” she said, her voice a lot more dour than she had intended.

Charlie gave her an inquisitive look. “You sure? You worried about being underage?”

Vaggie snorted while her mind fumbled for a way to deflect the query. “Not really. I just...um... I'm back-up DD, in case Amber gets a little too lit up." It was at least a good excuse, and Charlie nodded in understanding. "So, uh, yeah. No booze for me, thanks,” she managed to say in a passable facsimile of a cheery tone.

The music halted briefly before the sound of an amplified voice rose above the noise of the party-goers. It was muffled, but Vaggie caught one recognizable word and turned to Charlie in time to see her face absolutely light up.

“Karaoke!” Charlie squealed. She turned to look at Vaggie. “This is perfect! I wanted to sing for you anyway,” she said as she took a step toward the doorway the announcement had come from.

Vaggie swallowed, simultaneously enamored with the expression on her friend’s face and stricken with a premature dose of second-hand embarrassment. The mix was making her stomach turn. Vaggie nodded and Charlie excitedly skittered off, taking an enormous swig of her drink as she went.

The pair entered a living room with a high, vaulted ceiling. Bodies mingling and dancing were everywhere which forced the two women to skirt around the side along a wall. A man had taken up a microphone attached to a large rectangular box and began to poorly sing ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC. Cheers and jeers roared up around them, which only encouraged him to sing louder. Very drunk. Charlie was grinning through a mild grimace as she tossed a glance to Vaggie.

“Can't fault him for his enthusiasm,” she said loudly before putting the cup to her lips for another pull.

Vaggie nodded as that second-hand embarrassment properly hit her. She took a sip of her soda, hoping the carbonation would help her stomach. It didn't.

Charlie started bobbing her head and swaying to the music despite the less-than-stellar performer. Another gulp of rum and coke. The song ended and a woman took up the mic. There was a brief pause as cassettes were swapped and then ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton began playing, much to the delight of the crowd.

This singer was quite a bit more competent and Vaggie actually found herself feeling more neutral about the situation. Charlie was particularly pleased and cheered as the singer finished up her song with a bow. The blonde took another drink and then looked fidgety. She tossed a glance down to Vaggie, cheeks red. “I wanna do one. That okay?”

Vaggie shrugged. “I'm not your mom,” she said with another forced smile. Vaggie legitimately did not want to be left alone here, regardless of whether she was actually attracting attention or not, but it didn't feel right to try and impose that on Charlie. She should get to have her fun.

“Okay! Hold this?” Charlie quipped excitedly, handing her cup to Vaggie without even waiting for an answer.

Vaggie took it and watched her tall friend slip away as another performer began a disappointing rendition of the Beach Boys' ‘Kokomo.’ Vaggie frowned down at Charlie's cup. There was so little in it that it might as well have been empty.

Vaggie turned her attention back to the music, listening with rising anxiety as the song came to a close. Because of her height she could barely see anything from where she was, but she did get a glimpse of a red shirt and golden hair as the tapes were switched. Vaggie bit her lip and scowled as Madonna filled the room. This was from True Blue. Had she memorized these songs already? Could she sing? Vaggie found herself holding her breath as the first line of lyrics approached.

“Working Monday through Friday, takes up all of my time. If I can get to the weekend, everything will work out just fine. That's when I can go crazy. That's when I can have fun. Time to be with my baby. Time to come undone!” Charlie sang out, pitch perfect, and Vaggie thought she felt her heart stop.

“Where's the party, I want to free my soul!”

Vaggie was still holding her breath.

“Where's the party, I want to lose control!"

She was paralyzed.

“Where's the party, I want to free my soul!”

Vaggie realized she was crushing Charlie's cup.

“Where's the party, I want to lose control!"

Vaggie sucked in a breath and stared through the crowd, completely and utterly awestruck as she desperately tried to get a look at Charlie as she began the second verse. Vaggie only managed a few glimpses before people began cheering drunkenly, hands thrown in the air. Their voices over Charlie's was pissing her off.

Upset, but too enthralled by her friend’s voice to actually acknowledge it, Vaggie slumped against the wall and closed her eyes. The chorus repeated. Vaggie felt like she was having a religious experience. The song, not even close to one of her favorites, was swirling through Vaggie, filling her such exuberance with warmth. It made her want to sing along. Jump up. Dance. Wrap her arms around Charlie…

And then it ended. The partygoers roared with praise and applause. Vaggie could hear people trying to get Charlie's name, her number, asking where she was from, complimenting her appearance. Vaggie heard at least one shitty “voice of an angel" pickup line and all at once the high from the song dissipated, leaving her in a bewildered state of extremely irritated and completely amazed simultaneously.

Charlie pushed through the crowd just as another singer took up the mic. “Vaggie!” she called, breathless and face flushed with excitement. Or maybe it was the alcohol. “What’d you think?”

Vaggie looked up at Charlie, eyes wide, and just shook her head lightly. “That was… astounding… I believed you when you said you were pretty good, but Charlie… holy shit.”

Charlie gave Vaggie a delighted, toothy smile and was about to say something when a tall, muscular man in a t-shirt two sizes too small broke through and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder to get her attention. It was successful.

Vaggie’s entire body went rigid.

“You have a gorgeous voice,” he said, grinning.

“Oh, thank you!” Charlie replied happily. “I love to sing.”

“I can tell,” he replied smoothly. “I'm Tom,” he said, dipping his head. “Might I know your name?” he asked in a sickeningly obvious and overblown attempt to be chivalrous.

Vaggie was clenching her teeth hard enough that she could feel the beginnings of a headache.

“It’s Charlie,” she replied politely.

“Charlie, I'm gonna get another drink,” Vaggie said as she lightly touched her friend’s wrist, no longer able to remain impassive. She had barely even touched her soda, but Vaggie had to leave this scene, preferably with Charlie.

“Short for Charlotte?”

“Charlie, do you want anything?”

“That's right,” Charlie answered. She looked torn between giving this guy attention and acknowledging Vaggie.

“Here alone? Where's your boyfriend?” he queried. Charlie continued looking at him.

He had completely ignored Vaggie, but she didn't know whether it was because she was so short, or she hadn't spoken loud enough, or he just didn't care. An unpleasant heat seeped into her limbs and she felt like she was going to puke. “Have fun,” Vaggie muttered as she started pushing along the wall toward the front door.

She couldn't quite make out what Charlie said as Vaggie made her way through the crowd and out of earshot. She strode outside onto the lawn, tossing her still-full cup of soda into the grass with Charlie’s crushed one. She gasped quietly as she walked, trying to wrestle whatever-the-fuck this feeling was in her chest. Charlie was hot, she was at a party, she was nice, there was alcohol involved. Of course she was going to get hit on. Vaggie knew this would happen before she even agreed to come. But why was it making her sick to see it? Why did she feel so possessive? She'd only known this woman for a month. Vaggie was the one being fucking weird here, not Charlie.

Vaggie crossed the lawn with heated steps and could feel herself trembling. She moved between the trees and the line of parked cars, spotting Amber’s van. This was her ride, they were too far from town for her to safely walk home in the dark so she would have to just wait here and deal with whatever awkward fallout happened when Amber and Charlie returned. Vaggie reached the vehicle and pulled the sliding door handle, then cursed under her breath when it didn't budge. Locked.

An overwhelming surge of frustration burst inside her. Vaggie gasped again and could now feel hot tears gathering in her eyes. She slid around to the front of the van and sat in the grass. Her back was pressed to the bumper as she pulled her knees up, propped her arms on them. Vaggie hung her head as she started to cry quietly.

“Vaggie?”

Damn it.

Vaggie tensed and held her breath, hoping Charlie hadn't heard. She sniffed and swallowed, trying to force her probably-foul expression into something more neutral. Hopefully the darkness would help. “I, uh, yeah? Over here,” she said, her voice raw. She tried to clear her throat discreetly.

“Are you okay?” Charlie asked softly as she approached.

Vaggie looked up, the distant light of the house over the roofs of the parked cars just enough to highlight the concern on Charlie's face. “Y-yeah. Just needed some air. I'm fine.”

Charlie approached and sat down next to her. She tilted her head and Vaggie could see her eyes peering at her with doubt and worry. “You don't seem fine…”

Vaggie shook her head. “I am, I am,” she insisted. “It was just crowded. Started getting a headache.” Vaggie could feel her anxiety clawing at her insides, agitated by the lie.

“Okay,” Charlie responded softly. “Do you want some company?”

Yes. “No, you go have fun. We only just got here.” Vaggie had managed to get herself under enough control to offer Charlie an encouraging smile. “Seriously, it's your first party, go enjoy it. They're just not my thing.”

Charlie was silent and Vaggie could tell she was fighting some internal battle. Vaggie was immediately upset with herself for fucking up Charlie's night.

“Seriously, Charlie. I'm okay.”

“Okay, uh, I like hanging out with you. I hope you feel better and can come back in soon,” Charlie said as she stood and stepped backwards. She turned and started back toward the party.

Vaggie called after her. “I will.”

She didn't.

The following Monday Vaggie still hadn’t quite shaken the distress that had befallen her at the party. She was no longer angry, but she found herself dreading running into Charlie during class. Charlie was already seated when she arrived, and Vaggie managed to give her an unenthusiastic smile and a nod when the blonde offered her a smile of greeting. Vaggie could see in Charlie’s face that her ruse didn’t work.

Vaggie forced those thoughts from her mind as she pulled out her composition book and turned her attention to the instructor as he began their lecture. She didn’t want to look at anything except the chalkboard and projector screen, ashamed and too scared of accidentally making eye-contact with Charlie again. She took her notes in silence, growing more and more anxious as time wore on.

The clocktower bell rang and Vaggie had already noted the reading assignment for the week. She was in no hurry to pack her things, but neither was Charlie. Begrudgingly, Vaggie gathered her stuff into her backpack and stood, tossing on her jacket quickly before she hoisted her bag onto her back and tried to meld into another group of students that were filing out of the room. Charlie caught Vaggie only a few feet into the hallway, and the light touch on her shoulder might as well have been an anchor. She stopped immediately.

“Hey,” Charlie said, and Vaggie was battered with shame at how upset she sounded. “Can we talk? Please?”

Vaggie inhaled through her nose as she chewed her lips and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Um, can we go outside?”

“Of course.”

They made their way slowly into the grass, breath puffing in the chilly morning air. Far from the sidewalk where anyone might be able to see them or overhear, Vaggie turned to face Charlie, still unable to look her properly in the face.

“I’m sorry for Saturday,” Charlie began, but Vaggie shook her head.

“No, I’m the one who should be apologizing. You were excited and having fun and I fucked up your night.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you out there. I know you said you weren’t a big fan of parties. I just… I didn’t realize…”

Vaggie was silent as Charlie trailed off, apparently unsure of what to say.

“I don’t like alcohol,” Vaggie offered abruptly. “It tastes like shit. It makes people act stupid. I don’t like not feeling in control of myself. So… I don’t drink. Hanging out around people who are drinking… it… it’s upsetting.” And I hate seeing you get hit on, she wanted to add, but didn't.

Charlie’s eyes widened and she lowered her eyes a bit. “I see… I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I should have said something. That’s on me.”

Charlie looked pensive and raised her eyes again. “I just wanted to try and get you to open up a little. I figured a party would be a good place to do that. I really do like spending time with you, you know. I wanted to go to the party with you.”

Vaggie, brows furrowed, finally looked Charlie in the face. A lump had formed in her throat as the pit of her stomach dropped out.

“I mean… not like a date or anything… Just, friends hanging out. It didn’t seem right to just go by myself.”

“I understand. I do. I’m sorry for how I acted.”

Charlie stepped forward, a worried smile on her face while she clasped her hands in front of herself. “Please tell me this kind of stuff. It’s important and I… I want to know. I don’t want to upset you.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“Thank you, Vaggie.”

Vaggie swallowed and felt her anxiety settle significantly. She frowned lopsidedly, raising her eyebrows as she looked at her friend. “Did you at least have fun the rest of the time?” Vaggie asked as Charlie beckoned to her and they began walking back across the grass toward the sidewalk.

Charlie huffed with quiet laughter. “It was okay. That weird dude kept hitting on me until Amber showed up and chased him off.”

Vaggie snorted softly. “Sounds about right.” She paused for a moment, her thoughts now picking at the memory of that situation like vultures on a corpse. “It uh… seemed like you were hitting it off pretty well with him, though. Part of why I left…”

Charlie grimaced. “Oh jeez, I was just trying to be nice. Sure, he was good-looking, but he had douche vibes coming out his ears. Holy shit,” Charlie said, a bit of life and humor had returned to her voice.

Vaggie groaned, but felt a trickle of comfortable warmth seep back into her guts. “Well, that shows how well I read social situations.”

“’Might I know your name?’ Are you fucking serious?” Charlie mocked as she shuddered exaggeratedly.

Vaggie actually began to laugh at that and looked over at Charlie, catching her eye briefly. The smile on her friend’s face fueled the warmth, sending it into her limbs. “I’m really sorry I left you alone with him.”

“Pah, don’t worry about it. I can handle idiots like that. I’m pretty sure Amber would have gutted him where he stood if he’d actually tried anything.”

Vaggie snorted, raising her eyebrows as she nodded. Amber probably would have.

Charlie laughed. “You should have seen it, though. It was hilarious. He took off like a scolded puppy. She knew that guy, too. He’s apparently a bit of a player and Amber was pissed he’d been invited at all. She found out which one of her cousin’s friends had done it and I think everybody could hear her cussing him out. He booked it, too. Probably out of embarrassment.”

Vaggie laughed again, but her mind had continued prodding at the events of the party, inevitably landing on Charlie’s karaoke performance. A little flutter worked through her stomach at the memory. “So, um, you are really good at singing. It was amazing.”

Charlie smiled and flushed a bit at the praise. “Thank you.”

“I’m sad I couldn’t see you, though. Too short and everyone was jumping around.”

Charlie frowned down at Vaggie. “I’m really sorry about that,” she said quietly. “I can sing something just for you, if you’d like.”

It was Vaggie’s turn to flush. “I um… that’s… not necessary.”

Charlie made a thoughtful hum. “Next time I get the right opportunity, I will.”

“S-sure.”

“Wanna get something at Dunkin? We can study there today, if you’d like. It’s chilly and it's closer,” Charlie suggested before an amused grin curled her lips. “You don’t have to get coffee, you know. They have other stuff.”

Vaggie smiled, the relief she was feeling from their reconciliation was immense. “Sure, sounds good.”

Charlie made a happy little noise and picked up her pace a bit.

It was chilly, Vaggie agreed, but she definitely wasn’t cold.

Chapter Text

1993, Late November

“I’m really surprised your mom let you borrow her car,” Charlie commented from the passenger seat of the tiny, three-door coupe they were now traveling in. “I’ve only ever seen you walk, or have Amber pick you up.”

“She had stuff to get done at the house today and I rarely ever ask, so,” Vaggie shrugged as she shifted the stick poking up from between the seats and did something with her legs. “I just need to pick up some things for her before I get home. But it’s a lot better than having to walk to the mall, especially with the weather like this,” she continued.

The car approached an intersection with a red traffic light and Vaggie gently guided it to a stop.

“Very, very true,” Charlie agreed, eyes watching rivulets of water sliding down the windshield that were immediately swept away by the wiper blades. “I appreciate the ride.”

“It’s no problem. Gets me out of the house and away from my mom for once. Haven’t been to the mall in a hot minute,” Vaggie responded with a soft smile as the car lurched back into motion.

“Well, I’m glad I could give you an excuse to be social again,” Charlie said with a timid smirk. She still felt incredibly bad about the party disaster. Vaggie seemed to have forgiven her pretty quickly, but this was the first outing that Charlie had felt comfortable enough to ask Vaggie to join her on since that night.

Vaggie snorted but didn’t offer any further commentary. The pair fell silent.

Charlie spent the remainder of the short drive staring out at the drizzly world sliding by them. Everything had begun to thoroughly show signs of the impending winter. Sunny days were few and far between. The trees were just about bare and the recent hard frosts had killed off much of the greenery that had been clinging to life. There had even been a light dusting of snow a few weeks ago. Charlie was genuinely fascinated by the entire process, if a little disappointed about the lack of the pleasantly warm temperatures she’d been met with when she arrived.

Vaggie navigated the car onto the thoroughfare ringing the sprawling structure that made up their humble local mall. Cars were everywhere. It was the holiday season, Charlie supposed. Vaggie angled toward an area of the parking lot that was significantly more full. A sign above the wide glass entry doors read ‘Food Court’.

“You hungry?” Charlie inquired, cocking her head to be able to read the sign as they passed by.

“I could eat, but I like to park over here just because it’s more or less smack in the middle of everything,” Vaggie explained as she chose a space toward the back of the lot and cleanly parked the car.

Charlie cast a look over at Vaggie as she yanked up on the e-brake, which noisily ratcheted into place. She couldn’t place the mood that seemed to have seized her friend. It wasn’t dour or upset… but the mellow cheeriness that Charlie had grown used to when Vaggie was around her was noticeably absent. Anxiety that she had unknowingly done something else to offend her friend began to pick at Charlie. Or maybe Vaggie hadn’t actually gotten over the party, yet.

“Here we are,” Vaggie said as she popped her seatbelt off and pushed her door open. She reached behind her seat as she exited, grabbing a black umbrella before she locked her door and shut it with a thump.

Charlie’s height made the exit process a bit more tricky and by the time she pushed her door open Vaggie had the umbrella deployed and held above her head. The kind gesture eased Charlie’s worry a touch. “Thanks,” she said with a soft smile as she stood, Vaggie maintaining her cover as Charlie stood and shut her own door.

“So, where are we headed?” Vaggie asked as they strolled toward the building.

“Dunno!” Charlie answered cheerily while she straightened her jacket. “I was just hoping we could kinda wander around. If there’s a music store, I’d definitely want to check that out.”

Vaggie smiled to herself as she nodded. “Yeah, there is. Isn’t just music, though, they sell movies and stuff, too.”

“Oh, cool!” Charlie felt her anxiety ease off another notch at her friend’s smile.

The women made their way into the vestibule and Vaggie shook the umbrella vigorously before wrapping it back up. Charlie waited patiently for her to finish, then pushed ahead to open the inner door for her. Another smile. The doors opened into a wide hallway with smaller shops lining the walls. Charlie couldn’t help peering about with interest at every one, and was particularly delighted by a pet shop that had puppies set out for viewing in a penned area near the front of the store. Vaggie humored Charlie for a few minutes as she tried to get them to play with her, but they seemed entirely put-off by her presence and chose to loiter at the far side of the pen. Charlie assumed it was because she was a demon, but it didn’t make her any less sad. Not knowing the real reason, Vaggie suggested it was maybe the soap she used, or her detergent and Charlie opted to go with that.

They continued through the building until the hall gave way to an enormous room with a second-story mezzanine that ringed the entire area. The lower level contained a dozen or so restaurants of varied kinds along the walls with tables and chairs filling the center. Huge skylights bathed the area with soft white light. Support posts for the building had been ringed with neatly-maintained planters and nearly every available seating area was occupied. The sound of voices was a low, but pervasive drone that filled the air. There were a lot of people here.

“Oh wow, this smells amazing,” Charlie commented as they angled through the center toward a set of escalators near the far side. “You want to get something?”

Vaggie pursed her lips and shrugged a little. “We can stop if you’re hungry. I’ll probably pass, though.”

Charlie pouted lightly and then smirked. “Eh, I can wait.”

Vaggie snorted, directing them up one of the escalators and to a large backlit board that was mounted on the floor nearby. Charlie could see that it contained a map of the mall on the upper half, with a list of text underneath. ‘DIRECTORY’ labelled the top.

“So, where to first?” Vaggie inquired as she stepped aside enough for Charlie to be able to peer at the board.

Charlie bent, squinting at the list for a moment before she straightened her back and tossed a disgruntled look to her friend. “I… have no idea what any of these stores are,” Charlie admitted sheepishly.

Vaggie smiled and stepped forward, a finger pointing at the list. “Well, you wanted music, so Sam Goody is probably your best bet.” Her finger slid across to the map. “It’s here,” she continued before she shifted her hand to indicate a little yellow star a reasonably far distance away, “and we are here.”

“Okay, let’s do that first,” Charlie said with enthusiasm, falling in next to Vaggie, who set off at an easy pace. Charlie sighed and resumed taking in everything around her. There were so many people of all ages moving to and fro around them and nearly every one looked happy or excited. Christmas music played over unseen speakers. It was such a drastic contrast to her experiences on the streets of Pride she couldn’t help but be enamored by the upbeat atmosphere.

Kiosks were spaced periodically along the wider hallway they were now traveling in, all very vibrant and colorful against the patterns of white, turquoise, and pink tile that lined the walls and floor. Each of them had their wares spread out visibly to attract passersby. Charlie wanted to look at every one, but Vaggie insisted all they sold was overpriced junk. Charlie pouted dramatically after the first intervention, which actually made Vaggie laugh, and her mood seemed to lighten significantly after that. Charlie felt a little bit of warmth begin to roll around in her chest.

They continued onward, Charlie taking note of a candy shop that was selling caramel apples as they passed. She would need to stop in there on the way back, just to see if these were anywhere near as good as the ones her dad made. Probably not, but now she wanted one anyway.

The entry of another shop opened up on their right, pylons covered in matte silver panels and glass windows making up the façade. Charlie came to a stop, peering in with interest.

“That’s Radio Shack,” Vaggie offered as she stepped up next to Charlie. “They sell electronics and computers and stuff like that.”

“Can we check it out?”

Vaggie dipped her head and held out her arm. “After you.”

Charlie giggled softly and strode into the store, eyes wide. Quite a few people were milling about, chattering about the items for sale. The walls were lined with shelves containing all manner of electronic devices and parts on display. Radios, televisions, stereo systems, desktop computers, telephones, dozens of various adapters, cables, batteries. There was even a huge pile of remote-controlled cars forming a pyramid toward the front of the store. It was too much to take in all at once. As Charlie was peering about a man with close-cropped, dark hair and a mustache approached with a smile of greeting. He was wearing a black polo shirt branded with the logo of the store in red over the breast. His nametag read ‘Woody—Manager.’

“Need help finding anything?”

Charlie turned her attention to him and shook her head. “Oh, uh, just looking at the moment, but thank you!”

“You know where to find me,” the manager said amiably as he wandered back toward the checkout counter nearby where he was immediately queried by a woman who was pointing at the pyramid of toys.

Charlie shifted her eyes back to her friend and watched Vaggie for a moment as she moved further in, attention drawn over to a shelf containing portable boom boxes and radios. The blonde joined her. “Thinking about getting one?” she asked, watching as Vaggie prodded a smaller portable stereo absently.

Vaggie snorted. “Nah, I can’t afford this stuff,” she answered pleasantly, but Charlie caught the undertone of resignation in her words.

“I can get it for you,” Charlie found herself offering without hesitation.

“No,” Vaggie said quickly, her voice surprisingly firm.

“It’s really no trouble, Vaggie,” Charlie insisted, “I like getting gifts for my friends.”

“I don’t need it. Save your money,” Vaggie countered as she slid the device neatly back into place.

“Okay,” the blonde acquiesced. That had been a curiously hard response to her offer. Charlie began wandering and paused at a wall hung with a wide variety of headphones. “Hmm, I should probably pick one of these up so I don’t drive my neighbors completely nuts,” she muttered, prodding a box containing pair of large, full-size studio-quality headphones hanging from a hook.

“Not a bad idea,” Vaggie agreed, tapping the tip of the umbrella on the toe of her sneaker as she joined her friend.

Charlie slipped the box off of the rack and turned it over. “So this would work with the deck, right?”

Vaggie moved closer and squinted. “I think so. This has the big plug end, the quarter-inch, which I’m pretty sure is what you’d need."

“Hm, okay. What about for a portable cassette player? I wanted to grab one of those, too. I assume I can’t use this,” Charlie gestured at the huge headphones, “for something small like that, right?”

“Yeah, that won’t work,” Vaggie confirmed.

Charlie turned back to the rack, sliding sideways slightly to be able to look at the much slimmer, sleek headphones meant for portability. She chose one with an adjustable metal band between the ear-pieces. “Okay, now I just need to see about a cassette player.”

The pair migrated to a display shelf with a number of the devices spread out for easy viewing. Charlie bent forward, scanning over the offerings with a frown. They were nearly all cheap-looking clunky black plastic boxes and most of them didn’t have an auto-reverse function, which she had learned from Amber was more or less a must-have.

“Not striking your fancy?” Vaggie asked.

“Yeah, I dunno,” Charlie said as she straightened up again. “Is there anywhere else that sells these?”

Vaggie looked thoughtful for a moment. “Not at the mall, but there’s a Circuit City nearby we could hit up. They should have more of a selection.”

“Would you mind us stopping there on the way back?” Charlie inquired sheepishly.

“I don’t mind. I’ve gotta hit the grocery store over that way for the stuff my mom asked for anyway.” Vaggie shrugged.

Charlie clutched the boxes containing the headphones she had chosen to her chest and smiled widely at her friend. “Thank you so much.”

Charlie and Vaggie migrated to the sales desk so that she could pay before they were once again out in the hallway. Vaggie looked like she had fully cast off her odd mood from earlier, swinging the umbrella absently before she tucked it under an arm and slid her fingers into her jean pockets. She still had a small smile on her face.

“You sure I can’t get you something? Just as a thank-you for being a good friend?” Charlie asked suddenly after they were a few stores further along.

Vaggie snorted and looked over at Charlie, shaking her head. “I really don’t need anything.”

“I know, I just feel weird dragging you all over the place while I buy stuff for myself,” Charlie answered with a frown.

Vaggie pursed her lips. “I’m not gonna take advantage of you like that, Charlie. And my mom would wanna know where I got it.”

“It’s not taking advantage if I offered, Vaggie,” Charlie said softly, swinging her paper bag of purchases gently as they walked.

Vaggie made a disgruntled noise of disagreement. “I still don’t feel right about it,” she added with a slight frown. “Sorry.”

“No apology necessary, but the offer still stands if you change your mind.”

Vaggie inhaled and nodded her head silently.

Charlie was incredibly curious about Vaggie’s aversion to gifts and continued to brood on it as they traveled toward their destination. Her eyes never fully left her friend, so Charlie was quite aware of Vaggie’s slight shift in demeanor as they ambled by another storefront. Victoria’s Secret. It was a women’s undergarment store. Charlie clocked the large posters of scantily-clad and extremely attractive women modeling their wares and noted that Vaggie had seen them, too. Her face flushed slightly while her eyes lingered just a moment longer than strictly necessary before snapping forward again. Vaggie shoved her hands further into her pockets. Charlie stared at her friend in mild bewilderment for just a moment before her eyebrows rose.

Oh.

Oh.

Vaggie was gay.

The realization set a spark off in Charlie’s stomach and suddenly Vaggie’s reaction at the party made so much more sense. Seeing Charlie being hit on had been what upset her… which likely meant she was attracted to Charlie but trying to repress it. Oh… Okay, well… there could be any number of reasons for that. Charlie didn’t need to dwell on it now.

Vaggie shifted suddenly, steering them across to the other side of the thoroughfare. Charlie could see a white sign that read ‘Sam Goody’ in pleasantly loopy letters on a backdrop of bright pink neon lights. Her eyes went wide as they crossed the threshold and she was presented with an expansive collection of all kinds of entertainment media spread out on many, many shelves. Cassettes, CDs, VHSs, vinyls, video games, laser discs, and a bunch of other merchandise formed a riot of color.

“Oh, wow, this is a totally different vibe than Audio-Logical, huh,” Charlie commented, taking in the brightly-lit sales floor with its neon teal lighting ringing the ceiling. Huge cardboard standees were placed about while posters hung from the ceiling to advertise new releases. The one closest to her showed a killer whale leaping over a boy with the title ‘Free Willy’ at the top.

“Yeah, for sure. Looking for anything in particular here?”

“Oh, uh,” Charlie muttered, pondering. “Amber said something about Billy Joel, maybe some stuff by him?”

Vaggie nodded and stalked off toward a long wall that contained myriads of cassettes, each held within a very long, white plastic case and stacked so their spines were visible. Charlie joined her as she bent her head and began to scan through the section that contained the J’s.

The blonde couldn't help but give Vaggie another thoughtful glance, her mind prodding at the subject of her friend’s sexuality again. Vaggie obviously dressed in a manner that suggested she didn't want attention. Baggie jeans and a slightly oversized t-shirt with a large button-down flannel as a jacket. Nothing brightly colored. She didn't wear makeup, and the most expressive things on her were a pastel digital watch and a studded leather wrist cuff. She recalled seeing her wear a small choker necklace now and again. Charlie felt a little mote of sympathy pulse to life in her. Was Vaggie closeted? If she was, why? Charlie was intensely curious about this, but shoved it aside again. It was extremely not okay to just bring that stuff up out of the blue. Especially in public. Maybe Vaggie would tell Charlie herself. She hoped she would, at least.

“Ah, here!” Vaggie exclaimed suddenly, sliding one of the plastic cases from the shelf. She passed it over to Charlie, who took it excitedly. “Storm Front is a good album if you’re just getting into him. Anything else you wanted to pick up while we’re here?”

Charlie took a moment to consider but then shook her head. “I mean, yes, but I honestly feel kinda bad buying this here instead of from A.L. now that I think on it.”

Vaggie laughed, grinning wide enough to flash her teeth. “Ha, I’m sure Mark would appreciate that.”

“Mark?”

“Oh, he’s the owner. That real friendly guy that greeted us the first time you stopped in with me?”

“Gotcha,” Charlie said as she moved toward the sales counter. They left the store and Charlie slowed to a stop near a planter, a ponderous expression on her face.

“What’s up?” Vaggie asked, curious.

“Oh, uh, just not sure what I even want to do next,” Charlie answered after a moment. The mall wasn't huge, and they'd already accomplished what Charlie had come here for. She didn't want this to come to an end so soon.

“Well, we could head back the way we came and stop anywhere you’re interested in as we go?”

Charlie agreed and they continued on. The smell of candy and caramel hit her and she remembered the apples. She pinched her lips together, casting a quick look at Vaggie as an idea occurred to her before she steered them into the candy shop.

“Oh man, I used to come here a lot,” Vaggie said wistfully, a soft expression on her face as she looked about. She wandered to a huge, clear acrylic island with loose, bulk candy and began slowly circling it as she gazed down.

Charlie smiled and moved to the counter, quietly pointing out the caramel apples to the clerk while Vaggie was occupied. She bought two, and turned back to Vaggie, holding them up by their sticks to get her friend’s attention.

Vaggie approached, a slightly suspicious smirk on her face. “Why did you get two?”

Charlie pretended to be offended as she led them out of the store. “What? You don’t think I can eat two caramel apples by myself?” She took a bite of one as they came to a stop near a circular bench that ringed another large planter. After taking a moment to chew and swallow she pouted over at Vaggie and held one of the apples out. “Actually, you know what. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Can you help me out?”

Vaggie’s eyebrows rose, one side of her mouth quirked into a smile before she sighed and took the apple reluctantly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of these,” she said quietly as they sat on the bench.

Charlie watched as her friend considered the treat for a moment before she took a bite.

“Not bad,” Vaggie commented.

“Right?” Charlie agreed. “Though, my dad makes ‘em way better.”

Vaggie wasn’t sure how she felt about Charlie’s not-so-discreet trick to get her to accept the apple.

On one hand, Vaggie really didn’t like people spending their money on her. Finances had always been tight at her house and she was viscerally aware of the fact. Money was a precious thing. She just couldn’t shake that mindset even with other people’s funds. She didn’t ask for things if she could help it, and tried to make due with the small allowance her mother gave her weekly. Vaggie had insisted that she could pick up a job to help, but that had been very swiftly curtailed. She was to focus on her school work only, and her monetary needs would be taken care of by her mother.

On the other hand, Charlie seemed genuinely happy to be able to share with her friend, and seeing the blonde looking so pleased was a gift in and of itself. It left Vaggie feeling weirdly warm and bubbly inside. The feeling lingered...

After the apples, they spent a bit more time wandering around the mall before Charlie decided she was satisfied. The drive to Circuit City was incredibly short, even with a detour to the grocery store for Vaggie to grab the veggies and eggs her mother had asked her to pick up. Charlie had been absolutely enamored with the huge red tower that stood over the entrance of the building and was practically vibrating with excitement as they entered the store. A salesperson greeted them and happily pointed them in the right direction.

Charlie eagerly strode through the shelves until she came upon the collection of portable cassette players. They were lined up neatly and far greater in number than the offerings at the mall had been. Vaggie had to stifle a laugh at her friend’s awestruck little gasp of delight at the choices, but Vaggie noted that her eyes were immediately drawn to a small, bright red device.

“Oh… I like that a lot,” Charlie mumbled thoughtfully. She tapped her fingers on her chin, glancing as Vaggie stepped up next to her with a grin on her face.

“I already said I need one of these anyway,” Charlie reasoned defensively.

“I didn’t say anything,” Vaggie responded, stifling a laugh.

Vaggie bent forward to get a closer look at the sleek little Sony Walkman Charlie had immediately singled out. Then Vaggie's attention shifted to the price tag and her eyebrows went up a touch. Almost a-hundred and fifty bucks. Holy shit.

The blonde tossed a glance to the tag and frowned before her eyes skipped over the others nearby.

Vaggie watched Charlie fighting some internal battle and was equal parts amused and guilty for making her friend feel self-conscious about how she spent her money.

“I really, really like it,” Charlie muttered.

“So get it.”

The blonde pouted and Vaggie had to hold back another chuckle. Charlie’s pout grew more dramatic.

“I have a feeling you’re going to be upset if you don’t,” Vaggie said, no longer able to contain her amusement.

“Oka-a-a-y,” Charlie groaned, bending to find the box on the shelf below the display.

Vaggie joined her and managed to spot it first, snagging it quickly before sliding it into Charlie’s hands.

The pair returned to the sales desk and joined the long queue of people waiting to check-out. Charlie paid and was handed a paper bag containing her purchase before she and Vaggie made their way back to the car out in the lot.

Vaggie unlocked the doors and held Charlie’s for her as she squeezed into her seat. “Sorry about the detour,” Charlie offered as Vaggie settled into the driver’s seat.

“No need to apologize, seriously. This was fun.”

Charlie gave Vaggie a timid smile before she turned her attention to the boxed Walkman sitting across her lap. She carefully opened the cardboard box, lifting the flap and pressing it down to keep it open. She freed the Walkman from its protective cocoon and turned it over in her hands, a delighted smile on her face.

“It suits you,” Vaggie said as she peered over from the driver’s seat.

Charlie blinked, a bit taken aback by the comment. “Oh, uh… thanks?” she said with a huff of laughter.

Vaggie couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face.

Charlie spent the ride back to her dorm figuring out how to work her new cassette player, squealing with delight when she finally managed to get it powered up. She immediately tore into the slim headphones she’d gotten at Radio Shack, and then cracked open her new ‘Storm Front’ cassette. Vaggie could hear her struggling a bit to get it to seat it correctly. After a moment, she snapped the Walkman shut and put the headphones over her ears, then slid the little plastic cover down to expose the controls. She hit play and waited a moment while the Walkman made a satisfying click, then laughed with glee as the music began to play loud enough for Vaggie to hear over the sound of the car and the rain outside.

Vaggie tossed a brief glance at her as she drove, a tempered smile on her face.

Charlie stopped the tape and slipped the headphones from her ears. “It works!”

“I assumed as much,” Vaggie answered, fighting back laughter. The car slowed to a stop along the curb outside of Charlie’s dorm and Vaggie found herself feeling quite disappointed that their little journey had come to a close. Final exams were looming up quickly and time for just hanging out with Charlie was at a premium with projects and studying sucking up most of it.

Vaggie fetched the umbrella and walked Charlie to the door, sending her off with a smile before returning to the car, her mind buzzing. She had to admit she really, genuinely enjoyed spending time with Charlie. Something about her made Vaggie feel… comfortable and accepted; like she could spill her guts about anything without judgement. Vaggie wouldn’t, of course… but it was a nice feeling, regardless. She had missed it.

Chapter Text

1993, Late December

The sky above was strangely bright even though the light of the sun had long since dipped below the horizon. A thick layer of snow clinging to the ground after nearly a week of daily snowfall reflected the city lights into the clouds and then back again, casting a soft purple glow over the landscape. The air was biting; too bitterly cold to enjoy spending much time outside, even for folks that enjoyed winter. Charlie had figured her demonic nature would help her keep warm, but after a certain point—i.e. around fifteen degrees Fahrenheit—even that wasn’t much help.

Vaggie had offered to meet Charlie at the record store earlier in the day and had declined the blonde’s offer to reschedule, explaining that now or later, it was going to be cold and there was probably going to be snow on the ground until at least April. They’d spent far longer than they normally would have on a random Tuesday afternoon looking through Mark’s current stock of cassettes, namely to delay having to trudge back out into the mess of slush and snow that blanketed the ground.

Snow itself was a bit of a novel experience for her, but Charlie had quickly come to understand why some people, Vaggie included, hated it. Traveling, by any means, became that much more tedious, and sometimes even dangerous. Charlie had already seen one fender-bender, when a pickup truck had been unable to come to a stop in the slush, narrowing missing another car as it jumped the curb and bent a stop sign flat to the ground. It had been minor, and nobody got hurt, but Charlie had been walking with Vaggie at the time and she saw her face go pale. Vaggie had become jumpy after that, despite insisting that she was fine. There was some explanation for the woman’s behavior, Charlie was positive, but Vaggie apparently wasn’t prepared to talk about it yet.

Charlie had managed to convince her dad into sending a pair of waterproof and insulated calf-high boots from Hell purely to avoid having to try and source a pair on Earth when there was already about a foot of snow on the ground. They had been a pain in the ass to find, according to Volly and Flick—the two imps that had portal'd into her room to deliver them—but Charlie had plied them with thanks and some Earth-snacks before sending them home.

Charlie was extremely grateful for the boots now, as the temperature had been steadily dropping since the balmy high of nineteen degrees that afternoon. Charlie’s long, thick woolen coat was great and kept her core comfortably warm, but tonight she was missing some crucial items during their walk back to her dorm that Charlie was maligning more and more with every step. Gloves and a scarf. A hat would probably have been great, too.

Charlie was trying to hide her discomfort, popping her collar and keeping her head tucked as far down into her coat as she could with her hands balled into fists in her pockets. Unfortunately, she also had a few cassettes in each pocket that were taking up valuable real estate. It had worked for maybe two blocks, but the bitter cold had been steadily seeping in since they left Audio-Logical and it wasn’t long before Charlie was no longer able to mask the involuntary chatter of her teeth. Vaggie’s attention was on her immediately.

“Do you not have gloves or anything?” She asked with concern, craning her head to look up at Charlie shivering away next to her.

“N-nope. Didn’t e-even think about it,” Charlie managed to explain miserably.

“Here, take mine,” Vaggie said without hesitation. “I'm more used to the cold.” She didn't even give Charlie the chance to refuse, she simply whipped off her mittens and scarf right there, on the spot, and insisted first on holding the gloves open for Charlie to easily slide her hands into.

“You said you live somewhere hot; it makes sense you wouldn't think to pick these up. It's really fucking cold today. People not from here don't really realize how nasty it gets. Lake effect and this nor’easter bullshit. Nothing to be embarrassed about,” she said calmly as Charlie gratefully flexed her chilled fingers within the blissfully pre-warmed confines of the mittens.

“Oh, they’re so soft,” Charlie commented with delight.

“My mom made them,” Vaggie added as she found the ends of the scarf and lifted it. She took the scarf by the middle from where it was hanging, looking up at Charlie with an almost-imperceptible smile playing across her lips. “Let me show you the easiest way to put this on.”

“Sure,” Charlie said with a nod, her teeth chattering lightly. She had been expecting a demonstration, either Vaggie putting the scarf back on herself, or wrapping it over itself while she held it in the air. What Charlie did not expect, was for Vaggie to step so close that their coats brushed to be able to drape the half-folded scarf around Charlie's neck herself. The blonde looked down as the other woman pushed herself onto her toes, reached up with one arm to slide the garment around the back of Charlie's neck, and then tuck it under her hair while the other snaked up to retrieve it on the other side. Charlie's skin began to burn pleasantly where Vaggie’s mitten-warmed hands brushed her icy neck and she found she was hardly even paying attention to what Vaggie was doing anymore.

Charlie’s breath had caught in her throat at the woman's proximity, her attention laser-focused on Vaggie's face. Her dark brown eyes were thoughtfully intent on her task while little white puffs that swirled into the air marked her exhalations. Her breath smelled like mint. Vaggie's mouth had curled into a satisfied smile just wide enough for Charlie to see her teeth. The blonde’s eyes got caught on the small points of the other woman's canines, then fixated briefly on her lips, still glossy from the chapstick Vaggie had put on back at the record store. Charlie felt the scarf slide back along her neck as Vaggie tightened it, and then gentle pressure as the woman pressed her palms around the sides to spread the knitted fabric out for more coverage on Charlie's skin. The blonde was suddenly at the mercy of an inferno that flared to life in her navel and sent a wave of tingling heat into each of her limbs. Vaggie was standing so close.

“Looks good on you,” Vaggie said as she stepped back, pleased.

Charlie felt her face blush all the way to her ears. Their eyes locked for a moment before Vaggie hastily looked away, and suddenly Charlie was aware of the dark flush creeping over her friend's cheeks. Maybe it was just because of the cold, but Charlie’s body didn't care. Her chest tightened. Her heart began to race.

Oh no… I’m going to have sex with this woman, Charlie thought to herself abruptly as her body pulsed with heat.

“Nice and warm?” Vaggie asked as she flipped her parka hood back up, tugged the zipper the entire way up, and shoved her hands deep into her pockets.

Charlie blinked hastily, looking down at the scarf that Vaggie had looped through itself around her neck. She looked back up. “Y-Yes.” Fucking Hell, yes. “Thank you.”

Vaggie looked somewhat anxious now, but also satisfied. She stepped sideways in the direction they had been heading as she resumed walking.

Charlie took the hint and joined her at her side, body thrumming.

“Is it always this cold this time of year?” Charlie asked, trying to clear her mind as they resumed their leisurely walking pace.

“It usually waits to get really cold until the middle of January-ish. I am not a fan.”

“I can understand why,” Charlie said with a laugh.

Vaggie snorted, sending a puff of breath into the air. She was quiet for a moment, and then her voice was soft as she spoke again. “Where I was born it was super warm year-round. I was really little when we moved here, but I still remember that.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hm, it was nice. I like the heat.”

Charlie clenched her teeth and pulled in a deep breath to dispel another little burst of warmth in her guts. “Me, too,” she agreed after a moment. “Why did you move?”

Vaggie huffed, hesitating. “I feel like I bring up my dad up, too much.”

“It's okay,” Charlie encouraged.

“Well, we moved when I was around six. There was bad political stuff going on that scared my mom. My dad was in El Salvador for research. Government-funded botany stuff, I'm pretty sure. That’s why they met. He knew things were going to get really bad so he had us come up here. Thankfully, they had been married for a while at that point and had already been discussing moving and getting my mom and I citizenship. The civil war just kinda fast-tracked everything.”

“Civil war?” Charlie repeated, shocked. The heat finally subsided.

Vaggie pursed her lips and nodded. “I'll be honest, I don't know much. My mom doesn't like to talk about it. She's lost a bunch of family.”

“Oh no,” Charlie said quietly, “I'm sorry.”

Vaggie shrugged, hands still stuffed into her pockets. “I never met any of them. Or, if I did, I was too small to remember.”

“Still…” Charlie murmured. She frowned, wishing she hadn't started this conversation. Seeing Vaggie subdued like this was suddenly far more visceral for her. She needed to cheer her up, like immediately, though she wasn't sure how.

“So, what are your plans for New Years? You obviously didn't head home for winter break,” Vaggie asked, and Charlie was relieved for the change in topic. At least briefly.

“Oh, um. I don't really have any. It's… not something I usually celebrate.”

Vaggie turned to regard her, a slight frown on her face. “Why's that?”

Charlie swallowed and thought of the extermination that was about to happen in just a few days. “It’s… the anniversary of something I’d rather not talk about,” she said, her voice losing all of its enthusiasm.

Vaggie's frown deepened as her brows furrowed. “Shit, I'm sorry.”

“It's fine,” Charlie answered quickly.

After a few long moments of silence Vaggie huffed with mild amusement. “We’re both batting a thousand with the unfortunate conversation starters, huh?”

Charlie laughed quietly as she tossed a glance down at her friend. “Apparently.” The warmth that had fled with their conversation glowed back to life.

“Um,” Vaggie began thoughtfully, “I was planning on hanging with Amber on New Years. We don’t do anything crazy, just sit around at her house in PJs, eat snacks, and listen to music until the ball drops. You’re welcome to join us if you didn’t want to be alone.”

“I’m probably going to be pretty miserable,” Charlie murmured, the tightness in her chest sinking with her dour thoughts. She turned her head to give Vaggie a long sideways look as they walked.

“Well,” Vaggie said as she stared at the sidewalk in front of her feet, “That’s what friends are for, right? To be there for you when stuff is shitty. You shouldn’t have to be by yourself.”

And just like that the sinking sensation was gone. The words Vaggie had just said sent sparks ricocheting through Charlie's entire body. The heat within her rose another degree in spite of the topic. “Yeah,” Charlie agreed, voice soft. She couldn’t pull her eyes from Vaggie, though the other woman hadn’t seemed to notice her staring yet. Charlie watched as Vaggie raised her head and pulled in a deep breath, letting the air out in a huge puff that glowed orange as it caught the light of the streetlamp they were passing under.

“I’ll think about it,” Charlie said somberly. This was going to be the first year she wouldn’t be at home to send off her fireworks as the extermination came to a close. She wondered if anyone would even notice.

Vaggie had turned her head to peer at Charlie, giving her a warm smile. “Sounds good,” she said with a nod before turning her attention back in the direction they’d been walking. “Do you want me to walk you in? I’d be happy to,” Vaggie asked, spurring Charlie to glance up. Her dorm building was looming a few dozen yards ahead, the exterior lights warm and inviting against the backdrop of ice and snow.

Charlie hesitated as the heat rose yet again. She absolutely wanted to invite Vaggie inside. Another moment passed before she shook her head. “Nah, just leave me at the door, I can make it the rest of the way just fine,” Charlie said dismissively. “You need to get home.”

Vaggie just nodded and was quiet as they continued along the sidewalk, each of them pausing as it split off toward the entrance to the building.

Charlie turned to face Vaggie, offering her a wide smile. “Thanks for hanging out today, Vaggie.”

“Of course, it’s always a treat,” the woman responded with a smile of her own.

Vaggie’s response immediately stoked the fire that had been burning low in Charlie’s core during the final stretch of their journey. “Ha, yeah,” Charlie agreed. “Drop me a line when you get in?” she asked, feeling a touch anxious. It was another twenty minute walk before Vaggie would be home. Maybe more with the mess the roads and sidewalks were in.

“I, uh, yeah. Can do. Might need to warm up for a bit before I can work the dial, though,” Vaggie chuckled, pulling her hands free of her pockets to wiggle her fingers slowly.

I could help you warm up, burst unbidden into Charlie's head. The temperature rose again. Charlie let out a huff of amusement. “Have a good night, Vaggie.”

“You, too, Charlie,” Vaggie said with a nod.

Both Charlie and Vaggie had begun to turn away from each other as the blonde let out an exclamation. “Oh! Your scarf and mittens!” she yelped as she turned back, holding her hands out.

“You keep them!” Vaggie insisted immediately as she twisted to peer back at Charlie.

Charlie hesitated. “But your mom made these.”

“She’s made a lot, she won't miss them. I'll even bring you the matching hat next time I see you.” Vaggie smiled up at Charlie fondly. “Keep them, seriously. They're even red! Your favorite color.”

“How do you know red is my favorite color?” Charlie asked, eyebrows raised.

Vaggie looked like she was biting back laughter as she regarded Charlie incredulously.

Charlie pouted, realizing what Vaggie was silently suggesting. “Okay, yeah. Dumb question,” she chuckled quietly.

Vaggie's laughter rolled forth and was barely contained as the woman said her goodbyes and set off toward her home.

A light flurry of snow began as Charlie watched her go. She stared for a long, long time feeling like a furnace on full blast. Oh yes. I'm going to blow her mind.

Vaggie had a pleased smile on her face as she tossed the hood of her parka back and knocked on Charlie’s dorm room door. She heard shuffling from inside and then a thump and a curse before the door was thrown open. Vaggie’s eyebrows furrowed in alarm at the completely disheveled Charlie she beheld.

“I, uh, hi,” Vaggie offered as Charlie stepped aside to let her in. “Are you alright?” Her friend’s usually perfectly-brushed hair was a mess, she appeared to still be in her pajamas from the previous evening at eight at night, and her eyes, normally sharp and bright, looked tired and dull. Beyond her, Vaggie could see half-eaten takeout scattered over her desk next to which Charlie's office chair lay sideways on the floor, probably pushed over in her rush to the door. Her phone was off its base, the dial tone droning in protest, and a smattering of dirty clothes littered the floor.

“Yeah, I'm okay. Just, er, got my foot stuck and tripped when I stood up,” Charlie answered in an exasperated voice that she had tried—and failed—to mask with her usual cheery tone. She rushed over to her desk and looked about frantically. “I'm so sorry, this is such a mess. I was on the phone with my dad and completely lost track of time. Let me just try and- augh, damn it, I'll get ready in a second, I need to-”

“Charlie,” Vaggie interjected sympathetically, holding her hands up as she took a step toward her friend, “take a breath, okay?”

Charlie paused from where she was hurriedly trying to tidy up her desk, nightstand, and bed simultaneously and tossed a startled look over to Vaggie. Her expression softened after a moment and a bit of the tension drained out of her body.

Vaggie offered her a supportive smile as she stepped further into the room to lift the upended chair to its legs. “There is no rush. Take your time,” she said calmly as Charlie stood straight and shifted away from her desk. Vaggie picked up the phone handset and set it neatly back on the receiver. “I’ll sort this out. You relax and get changed. Okay?” The strain and embarrassment on Charlie’s face made Vaggie’s chest tighten sharply. The urge to hug her was immense, but a burst of anxiety compelled Vaggie to fight it down.

“Okay, um, thank you,” Charlie replied softly as she took a deep breath and crossed to her dresser to dig out fresh clothing.

Charlie headed into her bathroom and shut the door while Vaggie watched her with concern. Why was her heart pounding in her chest all of a sudden? Vaggie shook her head and began gathering up the takeout, closing the styrofoam containers that still contained food and dropping to her knees to place them into the mini fridge situated on the floor next to the desk. She found room and closed it up, then set about trying to quickly straighten the sheets and comforter on her friend’s bed. There were a few errant pieces of laundry scattered about that Vaggie gathered next, tossing them to the hamper near the bathroom door. Crumpled papers and bits of napkins, food containers, and wrappers littering the nearby surfaces were easy enough to collect into the wastebasket. She swiped the top of Charlie’s desk with a clean napkin and tossed that in the trash, too.

Vaggie took a moment to stand and look about, making sure she’d done a reasonably thorough job. She noticed a few new posters on the wall, including one of Madonna, and there were now glowing plastic stars stuck to the ceiling above Charlie’s bed. Vaggie smiled up at them, feeling like they were a very appropriate ‘Charlie’ decoration. She felt her heart flutter.

It was a few more minutes before Charlie exited the bathroom in a much tidier state, wearing a relaxed pair of jeans and a slightly-oversized cable-knit red sweater. Vaggie could see a white turtleneck peeking up through the neck. She looked around and Vaggie saw her friend's chin quiver, like she was trying to fight off bursting into tears. Vaggie’s heart twisted in her chest.

“Thank you,” Charlie said quietly after swallowing visibly.

Vaggie clenched her teeth as the pounding in her chest became distressingly stronger. It made sense that she would be upset seeing her friend in this kind of a mood, but this seemed… much more visceral for some reason. God, Vaggie hated seeing Charlie like this. The urge she had fought off returned with force, this time enough to override her anxiety. “Hey… do you, um… do you need a hug?” Vaggie asked after a few moments of hesitation.

Charlie looked at her, eyes wide in surprise, before her face pinched with distress. “Yeah,” she managed to choke out as she continued fighting off tears.

Vaggie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Charlie, hugging her firmly while a sharp jolt of electricity sparked in her stomach. Charlie was trembling and seemed torn for a moment before she lifted her own arms to return Vaggie’s embrace. It was tight even through her thickly-insulated coat. Vaggie found the side of her face resting against Charlie’s upper chest and was keenly aware of her friend’s rapid heartbeat. Charlie’s cheek pressed tightly against Vaggie's ear. The blonde was fighting to control her breathing. She smelled pleasantly of spice and cinnamon…

Vaggie waited until Charlie decided to disengage, then took a step back. Both of their faces were flushed.

“Better?” Vaggie inquired softly as she clenched and unclenched her fists loosely at her sides. Her own heart hadn’t stopped pounding.

Charlie took a moment to just observe her friend before she blinked and nodded her head. “Much,” she murmured. “Thanks, Vaggie.”

Vaggie managed an approximation of a calm smile as she inhaled deeply and slipped her hands into her coat pockets. “S’what friends are for, right?”

Charlie returned the smile and nodded. She sucked in a breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. “I’m still sorry you had to see me like that. And for the mess,” she offered as she crossed to the coat stand set in the corner behind her entry door. She unhooked her long black coat, her fingers worrying at the felted wool anxiously.

“It’s fine. I’ve seen much, much worse. You should see Amber’s room on a good day,” Vaggie said with a little chuckle, her heart settling back to a normal rhythm.

Charlie let out a little huff of laughter as she slipped her arms into her coat and then reached for the red scarf hanging on another peg. She folded it, slid it around her neck, then neatly tucked the loose ends through the loop and snugged it up. She shoved her hands into her pockets and produced the mittens, tugging her hands into them. “Okay, ready to go.”

For whatever reason, watching Charlie put on her gifted scarf and mittens gave Vaggie another little jolt in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. She pulled a hand out of her parka, another bundle of red knitted wool clasped in her fingers. “I’ve got your hat,” Vaggie said with a smirk as she extended it to Charlie, who took it gently and spread it open with her hands.

“Thanks,” Charlie said softly as she peered at it for a moment before offering Vaggie another smile. This one was full of genuine happiness and it made Vaggie feel warm and tingly. Charlie pulled the hat on and tugged at the tassels hanging from the ear flaps with amusement. She stepped up to the door and put her hand on the knob. “Shall we?”

Charlie stood slightly behind Vaggie as they waited patiently on Amber’s front porch.

“'Ey! You made it!” Amber said cheerily as she threw open the door and ushered them inside. “I was beginning to worry, you’re pretty late,” she added with a crooked grin and a quirked eyebrow toward Vaggie.

Vaggie scowled, but Charlie grimaced with embarrassment and ducked her head as she tugged her hat, gloves, and scarf off.

“Sorry, it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to the time, so when Vaggie showed up I still had to get ready before we could head out,” she said quietly as she shoved her hat and gloves into her coat pockets before removing her coat. She draped the scarf over her arm.

“It’s no biggie,” Amber said as she waved a dismissive hand. She took Charlie and Vaggie’s winter-wear and hung them up on a board further into the foyer as Vaggie began untying her duck boots.

Charlie took the hint and pulled off her own boots, settling them with Vaggie’s on a rubber tray set against the wall.

Amber gestured for them to follow and then led them through the house.

Charlie watched with amusement as Vaggie just about did a spit-take when they reached her friend’s room. “Holy fucking shit, you cleaned?” she gasped as they stepped through the threshold.

The huge, plushly-carpeted room was utterly spotless, the massive array of Amber’s belongings organized neatly and tucked away in what Charlie assumed were their proper places.

“What was it that you were saying about Amber’s room on a good day?” Charlie quipped, which earned her a disgruntled scoff and frown from Vaggie.

Amber squinted and shot Vaggie a suspicious glance that had Charlie fighting back laughter.

“Right,” Amber continued, gesturing at a heap of bean bags and cushions at the end of her bed, “make yourselves comfortable! I’ll grab the snacks.” She swept out of the room.

Charlie was awestruck and impressed by the huge array of posters and art hung over just about every square inch of wall-space in Amber’s room. Her music collection was immense and a little bit of envy flickered to life in Charlie's chest—she needed to up her game, apparently. There were a number of guitars set neatly on stands in a corner and Charlie found herself drawn to them. She tossed a glance at Vaggie, who was busy shoving beanbags into the center of the room. “Do you think she’d mind if I touched these?”

Vaggie craned her head around. “Uh, no I don’t think she’d care as long as you’re gentle with them.”

“Of course,” Charlie said as she lifted a black acoustic guitar trimmed in ivory and gold from its resting place. She took a moment to admire the floral pattern and the dove that adorned the delicately decorated pickguard before positioning it carefully in her hands. Charlie very gently strummed each of the strings in order and was utterly delighted to find it in tune. She saw that Vaggie had temporarily stopped what she was doing to watch Charlie with interest.

The blonde took a breath as she put the strap over her shoulder and wiggled her fingers. It had been quite a while since she had seriously played anything on any instruments, let alone a guitar. After a moment to gather her concentration, Charlie carefully placed her fingers on the necessary frets and then plucked out a full chromatic scale, even remembering to skip a fret on third string. She did it again with greater speed, and then ran through a smattering of chords as her familiarity with the instrument returned to her. She looked up to see an absolutely stunned expression on Vaggie’s face. Charlie felt herself flush.

There were heavy footsteps in the hallway and Amber burst into the room carrying a bunch of bottled sodas and bags of chips. Her face was delighted. “Do it again!” she barked with enthusiasm as she dropped her burden onto a bean bag. Charlie obliged and Amber clapped with delight. “Fucking beautiful. Vaggie, she can sing and play guitar, are you fucking kidding me?” the woman said, gesturing at Vaggie and then swinging her arm around to gesture at Charlie.

Charlie saw Vaggie’s face grow dark which immediately triggered a flutter in her stomach. “My um, my mom encouraged me to learn how to play a lot of instruments when I was younger, actually,” Charlie offered with a timid smile. “She’s really big into music.”

“Amazing,” Amber said with a shake of her head as she began shifting the sodas and chips gently to the floor. She shot Vaggie a look that Charlie couldn’t quite see, but she did catch the exasperated expression that briefly crossed Vaggie’s features.

Charlie neatly returned the guitar to its stand and plopped herself onto a beanbag, shuffling her ass a bit to settle more deeply into it. She inhaled and watched Vaggie arrange herself in her chosen spot while Amber lifted the lid of her turntable and began thoughtfully sifting through her vinyls. She selected one.

“Alright, I’ll start off tonight’s program with some Whitesnake, I think,” Amber announced as she slipped the large black disc from its sleeve and gently lowered it onto the device. She pressed a button as she picked up what looked like a wide brush before very gingerly placing it on the surface of the now-spinning record. After allowing the tool to clean the entire surface Amber seemed satisfied and she set the brush down. She checked a dial and then slid a small leaver. With an extreme amount of care the woman used her fingertip to set the needle in place on the outer edge of the record. There was a soft crackle and a few moments of silence before rock music began pouring from speakers set all around the room. The cover of the turntable was promptly lowered.

Charlie felt herself relax despite the horrific scene that she knew was playing out at that very moment down in Hell. The mere presence of her friends was helping her not dwell on it. Charlie let her head rest on the bean bag and stared up at the ceiling, looking distantly at nothing while she let the music feed into her. Vaggie and Amber chatted pleasantly as the music played but neither pressed Charlie to join in and she was quite content to just lay there and listen. She glanced over as Amber rose to flip the vinyl and repeat the dust-removal process after the first side ran through. Her eyes shifted to Vaggie, who gave Charlie a calm smile when she noticed the blonde peering over at her.

A mellow song had begun to play while Charlie’s thoughts lazily meandered back to the events of earlier. Vaggie’s gentle, but steady reassurance and the memory of the hug spurred more flutters in her stomach. Charlie closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, barely registering the lyrics as the chorus swelled.

“Is this love that I’m feeling?
Is this the love that I’ve been searching for?
Is this love, or am I dreaming?
This must be love, ‘cause it’s really got a hold on me.”

Just a few hours until 1994 and the conclusion of the yearly slaughter… but thanks to her friends—thanks to Vaggie—the night was turning out much more bearable than Charlie could have hoped for when the day began.

Chapter Text

1994, Early January

It was barely late-morning when Charlie had resigned herself to a boring day alone in her dorm. The semester wouldn't start for another two weeks, so she didn’t even have an assignment to occupy her time. A snowstorm that had been blasting across the state had businesses and schools closing left and right. Or so said the scroll on the local news station she had tuned into on her tiny television. So, Charlie had her music and that was about it.

Still pajama-clad, she settled onto her bed, the headphone cord just long enough to be able to stretch across the room to her tape deck. Journey’s ’Evolution’ album was the day’s first choice. The studio headphones wrapped snugly around her ears had very nearly made her miss the sound of knocking. Charlie hurriedly freed herself from her tether to the deck and rushed to the door, turning the deadbolt before she pulled it open. The sight of Vaggie standing in front of her, parka-clad and slightly damp, made Charlie’s chest burst with little sparks.

“Vaggie!” Charlie's voice was full of delight as she stepped back to allow her friend to enter. She hadn’t seen Vaggie since New Years Day and it was only now that she realized quite how much she had missed being in her presence.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call ahead. This was sort of an impromptu thing,” Vaggie said as she tucked her gloves into her pockets and bent to untie her dripping boots.

“Oh, no that’s totally okay. I was bored out of my mind anyway,” Charlie quipped, trying to control the giddy energy that was now coiling around in her.

Vaggie shook her head vigorously as she hung her parka on Charlie’s coat rack, her boots left neatly by the door. Charlie couldn’t help but notice that Vaggie’s hair had grown out a bit since they had met. The extra length really suited her. Vaggie was running fingers through it to try and get the hood-mussed mess back under control as she turned back to Charlie.

“So, what do you think about the blizzard so far?” Vaggie inquired.

Charlie was looking at her but jumped a little bit when she realized she had been spoken to. “Oh, uh, yeah. It’s certainly coming down fast.” She really wanted to run her fingers through Vaggie’s hair like that… it looked soft.

Vaggie nodded and moved to the window, leaning across Charlie’s desk and pushing the blinds apart with a finger to be able to peer out more easily. “Pretty much a whiteout at this point,” she agreed. She let the blinds snap closed again and turned back to Charlie. “Nobody’s sure how much it’s gonna snow, so I was wondering if you need to pick up anything from the grocery store. I gotta grab some stuff for my mom and figured I’d see if you wanted to tag along before it gets too nasty out.

Charlie blinked and then nodded with delight. “Of course! I could use some milk and cereal, actually. Maybe some snacks.”

“Sounds good,” Vaggie nodded as she began turning back toward the coat rack.

“Hang on,” Charlie said quickly. “You just got your stuff off. Why not rest and warm up for a bit? I'm sure like twenty minutes isn't going to matter that much.”

Vaggie smirked, turning back to Charlie. “You'd be surprised what a blizzard like this can do. But yeah, I'm fine with waiting a bit.”

The giddiness was replaced by that familiar pleasant tingle in Charlie's chest. She grabbed her desk chair and slid it over to Vaggie, not giving her the chance to decline before Charlie plopped down on her bed, dangling one leg and tucking the other.

“Thanks,” Vaggie said as she sat down, hunching forward with her forearms resting on her legs. She sighed, her gaze set on the window.

“Something on your mind?” Charlie queried as she snagged a small stuffed dog from next to her on the bed and began fidgeting with it in her lap.

Vaggie blinked and turned back to Charlie. “Oh, no, not really. Just being cooped up with my mom is… stressful.”

Charlie grimaced with sympathy. “I bet.” Spending extended periods of time with her own parents was a challenge and they tended to be pretty agreeable and pleasant.

There was a stretch of awkward silence, Vaggie’s attention returning to the window and Charlie’s shifting down to the stuffed animal she was now stroking absently with her fingers. “So, um, excited about the new semester? What classes did you pick?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m excited about another semester,” Vaggie replied with a little huff of amusement. “I’ve got an advertisement class of some kind. There’s one that’s kinda like a business course? Like, how to freelance, handling taxes, self-promotion, that sorta stuff.”

“Oh, that actually sounds really interesting,” Charlie commented with an intrigued nod. “I might want to take a look at your notes for it.”

Vaggie’s eyebrows rose and she nodded. “Yeah, sure, I’ll make sure they’re good ones,” she responded with a smirk. “I also have an art history course on the list. Same time as that graphic design one last semester.”

“Really? I’m pretty sure I’ve got that one, too!” Charlie's posture straightened in excitement. “We can still be study buddies!” The level of her own giddiness at this news was surprising even to Charlie.

Vaggie huffed, a little flush rising to her cheeks as she regarded her friend with amusement. “That sounds good.”

There was another brief length of silence as Vaggie turned her attention back to watching the snow fall through the cracks in the blinds. Charlie continued fiddling with the dog in her lap, but managed a few discreet glances up at her friend, mildly concerned about her subdued mood. She tried to look casual when Vaggie turned her head and caught her eyes. They both blinked and turned hastily away.

“So, um, you okay to head out?” Charlie asked abruptly as her heart fluttered.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Vaggie answered, standing and grabbing the chair before sliding it back into place at Charlie’s desk.

“I just need to get changed into some proper clothes first,” Charlie remarked as she moved to her dresser.

“If you can, you should leave those pajama pants on and just put some jeans on top or something. It’ll really help with the cold,” Vaggie suggested as she retreated toward a wall so that she wouldn’t get in Charlie’s way.

“Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea,” Charlie said with a nod as she sifted through her pants to find a looser pair. She hurried into the bathroom and set about dressing herself, but couldn’t shake the mild jitters that had been spawned by that silent gaze between herself and Vaggie just then. God, that was awkward. Charlie sucked in a quick breath and tried to force out the uncomfortable sensation in her chest as she exhaled.

“Ready!” Charlie remarked as she returned to the main room.

Vaggie was already bundled up, the upper half of her face peering out from a fur-lined cocoon around her head.

Charlie made quick work of tossing on her cold-weather attire and the pair were swiftly on their way. She couldn’t fight back the burgeoning feeling of excitement as they made their way down the heavily-obscured sidewalk in the direction of the grocery store. “I can’t believe there’s so much already,” Charlie commented with awe as she slid her booted feet through the ankle-high drift of snow below her and then kicked, sending a cloud of powder scattering ahead of them. She heard Vaggie laugh and felt her own face flush. At least she could blame it on the cold this time.

Vaggie seemed content to enjoy the muffled silence that the snow had created around them. She appeared at-ease now, which was a vast improvement over the exasperation Charlie had read on her when they’d been taking a break back in the dorm. She must really have been stressed at home with her mother if being out in snow was preferable. Or… maybe just being in Charlie’s presence had helped… That was a pleasant thought.

“Everything looks so pure and clean,” Charlie commented as they stepped off of a curb to cross a street that had yet to be disturbed by the tires of a passing vehicle. “It’s so nice.”

“Yeah,” Vaggie agreed quietly as she kept to her friend’s side. “It just sucks when you have to shovel.”

Charlie snorted, “Yeah, I bet.”

“I took care of the sidewalk in front of my house before I came over here, but I can guarantee it’ll be just as high by the time I get home later. Wish we had a snowblower,” she maligned as they mounted the sidewalk on the other side of the intersection.

“It’s good exercise, at least?” Charlie offered as she tossed a smile over at her friend, who regarded her with raised eyebrows and a shrug.

Charlie ran her hand along the top of low, snow-covered wall as they marched on. She tried to gather some of the white fluff into a ball as she passed, but the flakes refused to keep together. She pouted and dropped the failed experiment, turning her gaze back up in time to catch Vaggie tossing her an amused look.

“Were you going to throw a snowball at me?” she asked accusatorily.

Charlie shrugged animatedly as she clapped her mitten-covered hands together to knock off the rest of the snow and put an innocent expression on her face. “Maybe,” she replied. She had, actually, been planning on that exact thing.

“Give it another couple days and this will all compact down. Then you can get real good snowballs,” Vaggie supplied. Even though half her friend’s face was covered by the high zipper of her coat Charlie could see the smile in her eyes.

“Noted,” Charlie said, wandering forward a few more steps before she addressed Vaggie in an overly-casual tone. “So, doin’ anything two days from now?”

Vaggie started laughing as she shot Charlie a sideways glance. “Is that a challenge?”

Charlie smirked and shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll kick my ass. I’ve never been in a snowball fight before.”

“Never? Well, now I would feel bad if I didn’t take you up on that,” Vaggie commented wryly.

Charlie’s smirk turned into a toothy grin.

Vaggie snorted with laughter and shook her head. “If you’re serious, I’m sure I can find the time,” she added.

“I would love that, actually.”

A pleasant silence fell around them that was eventually broken by the rumble of a diesel engine and a plow blade scraping on asphalt. Charlie peered ahead and could see the small local grocery store fading in beyond a shroud of snowflakes. A small plow truck was busy shifting the snow off of the parking lot. The pair halted at the adjacent intersection as a much larger, municipal plow growled by, salt spraying from a hopper mounted to the back.

They crossed the street and cut over a shallow embankment to reach the nearly-empty lot. A grocery store worker shoveling the storefront walk greeted them as they crossed to the small automatic swinging door and into the building.

Vaggie was quick to unzip her coat and throw her hood back as soon as they were inside. She tucked her gloves into her pockets as Charlie stripped out of her hat and gloves, slipping them into her own pockets. She loosened the scarf, but left it hanging around her neck and began unbuttoning her coat. Vaggie sifted her fingers through her hair again and Charlie couldn't fight the additional pang it spurred in her guts.

“So what did you need to grab?” Charlie inquired as she and Vaggie each lifted a basket from the stack next to the door and began a counter-clockwise circuit of the store.

Vaggie slipped a hand into one of her jean pockets and pulled out a crumpled bit of yellow note paper. “Um, looks like a bag of brown rice, bread, butter, sour cream, bell peppers, onions,” she squinted at the slip for a moment. “I think that says cabbage? Some salt, a-a-a-nd more eggs,” she finished with a little laugh.

“Your mom likes her eggs, huh?” Charlie commented with a chuckle.

“Just, so many omelets,” Vaggie responded with a smirk and a shake of her head.

Charlie giggled and paused at an island with apples heaped into a pile, pulling a clear bag from a stand set next to it. “Omelets are good, at least,” she remarked as she began carefully selecting a few pieces of fruit.

“Not the way she makes them,” Vaggie said with a grimace and a snort. “She cooks them too hot, so they get super dry and none of the veggies get soft at all.

“Oh no!” Charlie said with a laugh as she spun the bag of apples and twisted a little green wire tie around it. She placed it neatly in her basket as they set off again.

Vaggie skimmed along the wall of produce, grabbing a head of cabbage and dropping it in the basket. She remained quiet as they continued along the back of the store. Vaggie paused to slip a net of onions into her basket before moving to select a few different colored bell peppers. She plopped them into a bag, which she tied off in a knot rather than bother with the little green twisty tie. Unceremoniously into the basket they went.

Charlie peered over at Vaggie and was glad to see a soft smile on her friend’s face. A cooler of pre-packaged deli items loomed up next to them, spurring her to grab a pair of Lunchables without really bothering to look at the contents. Another glance at Vaggie set off a fresh flutter in Charlie’s stomach. The shelves they were passing held an end-cap full of soda six-packs. She found herself thinking back to New Years again and chewed her lip thoughtfully. Abruptly, Charlie turned her attention back to Vaggie.

“Hey, Vaggie,” Charlie said softly.

Vaggie turned her head with curiosity, her steps slowing slightly. “Yeah?”

“I wanted to thank you again,” the blonde offered, “For New Years.”

“Oh, um. It was no trouble, really,” Vaggie responded after a moment of hesitation.

“I really, really appreciate what you did. I was kind of… spiraling,” Charlie continued earnestly, basket hooked over an elbow and fingers clasped nervously in front of her stomach.

“It was a bit of a surprise seeing you like that, I gotta be honest. But I’m glad I could help,” Vaggie answered as she stopped walking and turned toward Charlie. Her voice was so incredibly soft.

Charlie flushed with embarrassment and looked at the floor, swallowing anxiously. “I’m sorry.”

“Charlie, you don’t need to apologize. It’s okay.”

There was genuine concern and sympathy in Vaggie’s face as Charlie turned her gaze back up. Their eyes met, but neither woman rushed to break away this time. Charlie’s chest tightened and words fled her.

“If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here,” Vaggie offered. “No matter what it is. I won’t judge.”

The tightness worked its way up into Charlie’s throat and all she could do was nod her head and blink quickly, the heat of tears suddenly gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Vaggie smiled at Charlie and she found herself stricken by the serendipity of her situation. Out of all the places she could have chosen for her studies on Earth… so many continents, countries, cities, schools… Out of the millions of people that could have crossed her path after she had stepped through that portal, this woman had been the very first. Fuck, what was this uncomfortable feeling in her chest? Charlie couldn’t look away, and, it seemed, neither could Vaggie.

“Thank you, Vaggie,” Charlie finally managed to murmur, her emotions betrayed by the faintest cracking of her voice.

Vaggie swallowed visibly, her eyes widening as her smile fell away. It looked like she was fighting to keep her face neutral, the faintest hint of what could have been uncertainty breaking through. She cleared her throat. “You’re welcome,” she managed to respond softly before she pulled her eyes away from Charlie’s. She immediately turned her attention to the aisle sign nearby before stepping sideways toward the entrance below it. “Rice,” she said awkwardly as she started off again. Her face had begun to darken.

Charlie inhaled sharply as she followed her friend and once more tried to dispel the jittery energy coiling in her chest as she exhaled. She was simultaneously captivated and alarmed by these feelings overwhelming her. This was a hell of a crush Charlie was developing for this woman.

Vaggie collected the bag of rice and dropped it into her basket. “You said cereal, right?” she asked, her voice back to its familiar casual tone.

“Yeah,” Charlie said with a nod.

“That’s the next aisle over, I think,” Vaggie remarked as she continued, looping around the end of the shelf and into the adjacent row.

Charlie followed, glad to have something else to focus on. Vaggie set a slow pace to give her friend time to peruse the options, but the blonde found herself torn by all of the available choices. She glanced to Vaggie and saw the faintest amused grin beginning to curl her lips. Charlie swallowed and shot her eyes back to the shelves, a bright green box catching her eye. Applejacks? Sure, yeah, that worked. She shifted it into her basket. “All set here,” she chirped cheerily, extremely glad that the words came out sounding more or less normal.

“Cool,” Vaggie answered as she picked up her pace again. “Snacks, bread, and dairy stuff is all that way,” she added with a nod toward the far side of the store they had yet to reach. Vaggie headed straight to the coolers lining the back wall and yanked one of the clear glass doors before snatching up a small tub of sour cream, and then slid to another door and repeated the process for a box of butter.

Charlie glanced at the shelves opposite the coolers and started off toward an aisle that looked like a promising bet for snacks. She wasn’t sure what she was even in the mood for, but she had to occupy herself. That energy in her refused to dissipate and watching Vaggie was not helping her situation. Her eyes scanned over multitudes of bagged junk foods while she chewed her lip. A glance over her shoulder told her Vaggie had finished grabbing whatever she had needed, her friend now approaching at an easy pace. Panicking mildly, Charlie snagged the first bag she touched at elbow height and tossed it into her basket.

“Got what you wanted?” Vaggie inquired as she stopped a few feet short of Charlie. Her eyes dropped to the basket and a corner of her mouth quirked. “Cool Ranch? I’m shocked you didn’t go for the regular.”

Charlie looked down at the bright blue bag tossed haphazardly into her basket and then over to the shelf. Doritos? Ah… the regular were in a red bag. She pouted and turned back to Vaggie. “Hey,” she groused with poorly-masked amusement.

Vaggie stifled a laugh. “You need milk, I think you said?”

Charlie nodded and Vaggie spun on her heel back the way she had come.

“Oh, yikes,” the shorter woman mumbled as they rounded the end of the aisle and the diary cooler came into view. It was remarkably sparse.

“Why’s it so empty?” Charlie inquired as she stepped up next to Vaggie and peered at the offerings. She reached for a quart of boxed skim milk, as it was the only thing left in the amount she needed. She laid it gently in the basket as her friend answered.

“People panic-buy shit every time they call for a storm. Bread, milk, eggs, like clockwork. I made sure we had most of that a few days ago. Except the eggs,” she finished, jerking a thumb toward a nearly-empty cooler nearby.

“Why don’t they stock up more?”

“They try, but it’s a small store. I guess they’ve got limited space for storage.” Vaggie shrugged and adjusted her hold on her basket as she started off toward the front of the building. “Is that everything you needed?”

Charlie peered down at her selections and then back up to Vaggie. “Uh, yeah. I think so.” It definitely was, considering she hadn’t planned on shopping today.

The pair made their way up to a checkout counter and paid for their items. Charlie nearly offered to pay for Vaggie’s food but managed to fight back the urge, knowing her friend would refuse and that it might turn into another awkward interaction. They stepped back outside and could barely see across the parking lot through the nearly-solid sheet of snowflakes falling from the sky. The sidewalk the store employee had shoveled and salted was already covered in a layer of snow-capped slush.

“Oh yeah, this is cookin’ now,” Vaggie commented as they retraced their steps through the parking lot

“This is amazing,” Charlie murmured with a touch of awe in her voice. “I’ve never seen so much snow in my life.” The way their voices were instantly muffled by the falling flakes was fascinating.

“It’s supposed to keep going all day and probably into tomorrow.”

“That’s insane.” Charlie shook her head in disbelief as they climbed over the shallow embankment to the sidewalk beyond.

“That’s a blizzard,” Vaggie replied with a laugh as they stepped down from the curb.

“I’m gonna be so bored back at my dorm,” Charlie grumbled. As the pair crossed, she deliberately stomped to send satisfying little waves of slushy ice spurting out from under her feet.

“I’m not gonna fare much better at home,” Vaggie added with a sigh as they mounted the sidewalk on the far side of the street.

“Sucks you can’t just hang out at my dorm while it snows,” Charlie commented morosely before fully realizing the implication of her words, though she had genuinely meant it innocently. She swallowed and tried to keep her expression neutral and her mouth shut so that she wouldn’t continue putting her foot in it. Hopefully her friend would take it as a joke. Vaggie chuckled, but there was a bit of an edge to the laughter that told Charlie she had absolutely interpreted the suggestion as “hey, come stay the night at my place.” Vaggie opted not to respond, much to Charlie’s relief.

The next few blocks slid by in silence and Charlie found herself swinging her shopping bag idly at her side. The shrieking of children pulled her attention as they were passing a house. A trio of young kids were bundled up in snow gear and had made a makeshift sledding hill off the stairs of their front porch. Charlie laughed quietly as the smallest tried to mount a disk sled at the top, but placed their weight wrong and ended up slipping backwards to their butt while the riderless sled skittered down the ramp. The older kids immediately began chiding their sibling and informing them of the proper way to sit on a sled.

“That looks like fun,” Charlie remarked with a soft smile on her lips.

“You want to go sledding?”

Charlie swung her head around and found Vaggie regarding her with raised eyebrows. “I mean… I wouldn’t say no.”

Vaggie laughed and looked thoughtful for a moment. “If you still want to have that snowball fight, I’m pretty sure I’ve got an old plastic sled in the basement I could dig out, too.”

Charlie felt her face light up with a wide smile. “Really?”

“Sure,” Vaggie said with a shrug as she turned her eyes forward again.

“Thank you!” That jittery energy welled up inside Charlie again as they resumed their quiet trek back to her dorm building, which had loomed out of the falling snow in front of them.

“I’ll, uh, give you a call Thursday morning to see if you’re still up for it.”

“I look forward to it,” Charlie responded with a grin.

They said their goodbyes on the sidewalk in front of the building, Vaggie opting to remain outside so she wouldn’t track more water into Charlie’s room. Her mind was buzzing as she shut herself into her dorm, the excitement building in her chest feeding her over-enthusiastic imagination as she took off her winterwear and tucked the garments away on the stand. She craned her head over her desk, pushing the blinds apart to peer out at the pure white landscape laid out before her.

A little made-up scenario began playing like a film in Charlie’s head. Just a mild sledding mishap that happened to end with Vaggie pinning Charlie into the snow. Their breath would mingle as their faces hovered near to one another, laughter dying away as they realized how close they were… each of them would flush, they’d stare into each other’s eyes for a single tantalizing moment, and then… a kiss.

Butterflies exploded in Charlie’s guts. Fuck, that would be amazing…

“Hey!”

“Vaggie! There’s so much snow!” Charlie gasped with delight, the sound of cheap blinds being drawn up crackling through the phone connection.

Vaggie couldn’t help the grin that crossed her face. Maybe she could forgive snow for its very existence. Just this once. “Well, everything’s still shut down or cancelled,” she began tentatively, “You still on for that snowball fight?”

“Absolutely!” Charlie squealed. “Did you find the sled?”

Vaggie laughed at her friend’s exuberance. “I did, actually. It’s a bit smaller than I remembered, though,” she answered with a disgruntled mutter.

“Aww,” Charlie whined. “Should still be fun, though!”

“True enough,” Vaggie agreed.

“So, when are you free today?” her friend inquired.

“Pretty much all day, honestly.”

Charlie let loose a little “eeeee” of excitement and Vaggie had to bite back a laugh.

“Do you know the big brick church a couple blocks from school?” Vaggie asked.

Charlie was silent for a moment. “I think so, yeah?”

“Well, there’s a huge hill behind it that’s pretty much the best sledding spot in the area. No trees or anything to smash your face on if you aim wrong. Meet there in like… a half hour?”

“Absolutely!” Charlie blurted.

“Seeya,” Vaggie said, waiting a moment for Charlie’s farewell before she put her phone back on the receiver. She crossed her small room to the closet and pulled the bifold door open before shifting hangers aside. She slipped her thrifted snow pants free and tugged them on. As she was sliding the suspenders over her shoulders her phone rang, setting off a pang of electricity in her chest. She hastily moved to pick it up, concerned that it was Charlie with some last-minute change of plans.

“Hello?”

“Vags!”

Oh, it was just Amber.

“What’s up?”

“You were on the phone with Charlie, weren’t you,” Amber accused humorously.

“I…” Vaggie let out a disgruntled huff, “Yeah. I was.”

“Been trying to call you for like a half hour!”

“Bullshit! I was only on the line with her for like five minutes,” Vaggie retorted heatedly.

Amber broke down into quiet laughter.

Vaggie snorted. “What do you need?”

“Ah, I just wanted to see if you had plans today. I’m bored as fuck. Never thought I’d miss going to school.”

“I was actually just getting ready to go out,” Vaggie said slowly, feeling like a kid trying to sneak a cookie while their parent’s back was turned.

“Oh, re-e-e-a-a-a-lly?” Amber drawled.

Vaggie growled, knowing she was had. “Yes, really. Charlie’s never gone sledding or had a snowball fight, so… I was going to indulge her.”

Amber cackled on the other end of the line. “Just you two, or can I crash your party?”

Vaggie felt torn. On one hand… a stupid little part of her wanted the alone time with Charlie, even knowing it had absolutely zero chance of amounting to anything. On the other… Charlie would probably get more of a kick out of additional combatants. That, and telling Amber no would only throw gasoline on the fire and make her friend’s attempts at matchmaking even more annoying. “Sure, we’re meeting by the church in like a half hour.”

“Whoof, okay. Well, I’ll probably be a little late trying to drag my ass through the snow that far, but I will be there and you better be prepared.”

A grin curled across Vaggie’s lips. “We’ll see,” she retorted before she hung up. She was already formulating plans to get Charlie on her side. Vaggie zipped up her pants and tossed a glance at her watch. Twenty-five minutes. She hurried out of her room and down the stairs, pulling on her boots and tucking her snow pants around them before she snagged the purple knitted hat from its perch at the top of a basket full of hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves that rested on the floor next to the coat hooks.

She paused. Charlie only had those mittens Vaggie had given her. She couldn’t possibly have a snowball fight in those, they’d get soaked immediately. Vaggie shoved her hand into the basket, hunting for more water-resistant gloves. Her hands hit the bottom before her fingers brushed against a pair that were neatly clipped together. She lifted them from the basket and regarded them quietly for a moment, a little mote of sadness sparking in her chest. These were her dad’s. But they were also the only gloves Vaggie knew of in here that would be big enough for Charlie’s hands. She swallowed as she stood, hesitating for a moment before she tucked them into one of the inner pockets of her parka, still hung up on the wall. Vaggie promptly tugged her own snow gloves out of her coat and pulled them on. The scarf that matched her hat was snugged around her neck, then on went the parka, and out the door she zipped, grabbing the sled on her way off of the porch.

It was truly a slog to get to the church, but Vaggie couldn’t quite contain her happiness at seeing Charlie loitering along the freshly-snowblown sidewalk in front of the huge brick building. Vaggie pushed through the snow that was heaped along the curb and crossed the street, sled tucked under her arm.

“Vaggie!” Charlie was grinning from ear to ear, the bright red mittens flashing through the air as she waved with both hands.

It was still so fucking weird to have someone that wasn’t Amber this enthusiastic about seeing her. The warmth that bloomed in her body and eased into her limbs was incredibly pleasant.

“Hey,” Vaggie said with a smile as she marched up to her friend, stomping the snow that had stuck to her boots off onto the concrete. “Glad you found it!”

“Yes! Wasn’t too bad. Some of the sidewalks hadn’t been shoveled yet, though, so that was fun,” she added sarcastically. “But! I did remember to put some pajama pants on under my jeans, so at least I’m not cold.”

Vaggie let out a huff of laughter and then tossed a glance up at Charlie. “So, what do you want to do first?”

Charlie’s expression abruptly blanked out. “I have no idea.”

“Well, it’s really six of one, half-dozen of the other.”

“Let’s sled, then!” Charlie quipped, cocking her head to get a solid look at the hunk of blue plastic Vaggie had pinned to her side. Her expression morphed into a half-grimace-half-smile and then a mildly disappointed pout. “Oh, I can see what you meant by it being small.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to tuck your legs up a bunch… but I think it’ll work,” Vaggie said with a chuckle as she set off down a well-trodden path through the snow that led around the side of the church.

Charlie was right behind and Vaggie could just about feel the energy radiating off of her. As they rounded the back corner of the building the sound of people hollering with delight reached their ears. Vaggie paced toward the peak of the hill where a number of other people were already gathered; mostly parents watching their smaller kids sliding down and then huffing and puffing as they dragged themselves back up.

“Let’s go to the far side,” Vaggie suggested as she angled herself behind the initial cluster of people.

“Sounds good to me,” Charlie agreed.

Vaggie peered at the long slope below them, considering where they would get the smoothest ride. The snow was well-packed by this point, but a number of the trails had been thoroughly stomped-over by kids climbing back up. It was all pretty much equal. She dropped the sled and hooked a boot through the frayed rope looped through the front before she turned to Charlie. “Here,” she said as she partially unzipped her coat and fished around for the gloves she’d placed there for safe-keeping. She handed them to Charlie, who looked mildly taken-aback.

“Oh, thank you?” she said quietly.

“Snow gloves. Your hands are gonna get soaked if you try to do much with your mittens,” Vaggie explained, amused by the way Charlie’s face lit up with understanding.

“O-o-oh!” she said, carefully tugging the mittens off and tucking them into her pockets before she pulled the new gloves on. Charlie flexed her fingers as she tightened the Velcro straps around her wrists and offered a toothy grin to Vaggie, who matched the expression.

“Sorry they’re not red,” Vaggie commented, her smile turning into a smirk.

“Not everything I own has to be red,” Charlie groaned dramatically, but Vaggie could see and hear the barely contained laughter the woman was trying to hold back.

“You want to go first?” Vaggie asked as she bent to pick up the rope.

Charlie looked a little alarmed. “I, uh, okay. You’ll need to show me how to do this,” she said with uncertainty.

“Of course,” Vaggie agreed as she bent to slide the sled into place. “I’ll hold it still for you.” She watched Charlie carefully step into and sit on the shallow, molded seat, tucking her long coat forward under her ass. Her knees were pulled pretty high so that she could fit. Vaggie dropped the rope between her friend’s calves.

“Oh, are these brakes?” Charlie inquired, tugging at the pair of white handles sticking up on either side of the sled.

“Uh, yeah,” Vaggie answered, “and you can kind of use them to steer, but they don’t work great. I’d recommend not messing with them, if I’m honest. Can’t tell you how many times I got a face full of snow trying to control this thing. Just hold the sides. Yeah, like that.”

Charlie laughed as she tightened her grip on the edges of the sled and then made a startled yelp as Vaggie began pushing her toward the crest of the hill.

“Okay, ready?”

“Yes,” Charlie said with anxious anticipation.

“Alright, stay low, don’t lean, and if you start to go over… uh… try to keep your mouth shut,” Vaggie said with a laugh. She grunted as she shoved Charlie forward and then watched with amusement as her friend zipped down the hill, yelling with delight as her hair billowed out behind her. The sight set off a fresh burst of warmth in Vaggie’s chest.

Despite being cramped onto a sled that was a bit too small, Charlie did a remarkably good job of following Vaggie’s instructions and remained solidly seated—at least until the end of the track. She must have been much bigger than whoever had packed it down, because her momentum carried her right into the berm of untouched snow, abruptly halting the sled and tossing its occupant face-first into a two-foot-deep expanse of white fluff.

Vaggie winced and cupped her hands to her mouth. “You okay, Charlie?” she hollered down the hill, undecided on if she needed to rush to assist. Vaggie watched as the distant form of a snow-covered Charlie flipped over to her back, a thumbs-up held skyward. Even from on top of the hill Vaggie could hear that she was laughing uproariously. A surge of elation washed down Vaggie’s spine at the sound. Yeah, the snow could be forgiven.

Vaggie moved to the side of the hill and started down as Charlie righted herself and lifted the sled to shake off the snow that had piled onto it. She stood and shook her coat off before she began to trudge her way back up the hill with the hunk of blue plastic in tow. Her eyes were gleaming with delight when Vaggie met her halfway down.

“That was so fun, oh my god,” Charlie gushed as both of the women continued back up the hill.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Vaggie responded, slipping the rope from Charlie’s hand. Vaggie's cheeks were beginning to hurt from the grin plastered on her face.

“It’s your turn!” Charlie insisted as they crested the hill.

Vaggie was much more interested in watching Charlie have her fun, but it would have been impossible to turn down the gleeful smile on the blonde woman’s face. “Alright, alright,” she groaned playfully as she nudged the sled into place with her boot. Vaggie gingerly settled herself into the sled and heard snow crunching as Charlie crouched behind her, hands set firmly on blue plastic.

“Ready?”

“Ye-“ Vaggie began to say before her response turned into a yelp of shock, her stomach bursting with adrenaline. Charlie had hurled her forward with far more force than Vaggie was anticipating and she very nearly tipped backwards before she was able to snag the sides of the sled and dip her shoulders forward and down. As she reached the base of the hill she yanked up on the nose of the sled and managed to direct it on top of the lip of snow that had tumbled Charlie on her trip. Vaggie’s heart was pounding as she slid to a slow stop a good ten feet into the loose snow. She opted to tip herself over to dismount, her knees and an arm sinking into the snow while she turned her head to shoot a bewildered glance up at Charlie, who was cheering from the top of the hill. Holy shit, how was she so strong? Vaggie struggled a bit as she pushed her way out of the snow and back to the packed area.

“You didn’t crash!” Charlie exclaimed as Vaggie reached the top of the hill with a huff.

“Were you trying to make me?” Vaggie inquired with an exasperated laugh as she shot a fond glance up at her friend, who was now giggling. “I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

Charlie’s teeth flashed in a grin as she pulled the rope from Vaggie’s grasp and promptly settled herself down for another run. “Again!”

Vaggie couldn’t hold back a snort as she braced herself in the snow behind Charlie. She planted her hands on the sled and heaved her forward with all of her strength, sending her friend over the edge with a shriek of glee.

Vaggie only noticed the crunching of snow beside her as Amber’s voice hit her ears.

“Well, she’s having fun,” Amber commented with a smug grin, her head tilting as she shot Vaggie a sideways glance. “Looks like you are, too.”

Vaggie straightened swiftly and tried to temper the smile that had more or less burned itself into her face by this point. “Yeah, and?”

Amber just pursed her lips with amusement and shook her head, waving energetically as Charlie noticed her from the bottom of the hill. The two watched as the blonde hurried toward them.

“Amber! Hi!” Charlie huffed with happiness, “I didn’t know you were coming, too.”

“I was recruited for the upcoming battle,” Amber replied cheerily as she tossed Charlie a mock salute.

“You recruited yourself!” Vaggie blurted. She hadn’t noticed the snowball her friend had hidden in her gloved hand and let out a disgruntled bark as the white glob was smashed down over her head.

Charlie burst into laughter that actually had her doubling over.

“Oh, come on, not fair,” Vaggie whined as she shook her head.

“All’s fair in love and war,” Amber declared as she skipped backwards, fleeing from Vaggie as the dark-haired woman scooped a chunk of snow from the ground and launched it hurriedly. It missed and Amber jeered.

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Vaggie demanded as she pursued her friend with a grin, bending to snatch another lump of snow. She packed it tightly in her hands and took more care to aim, sending it home right in the middle of Amber’s chest. “Ha!”

Amber turned with a cackle, yanking her hood up as she started running around the opposite side of the church from where Vaggie and Charlie had entered.

Vaggie tossed a glance back at Charlie just in time to see her launch a snowball that burst apart forcefully on Vaggie’s shoulder. “You too?” she cried in mock despair as she backed away from Charlie, one arm held up in front of her face while the other dropped low to gather more snow.

Charlie had a determined and extremely mischievous grin on her face as she gathered another ball in her hands. She squinted and wound up, preparing to throw. Vaggie launched her attack at that moment, causing Charlie to flinch and drop her snowball. “Hey!” the blonde yelped in dismay.

Vaggie let out a bark of laughter and tried to turn in the direction Amber had run but moved too fast and slipped to her knees. She scrambled back to her feet as another snowball battered into her, blasting apart across her back. She let out a frantic curse and managed to get traction, fleeing as quickly as she could in Amber’s direction. Charlie was much faster and caught Vaggie with a point-blank attack just as she rounded the corner of the brick building. Vaggie should have expected the basketball-sized hunk of snow that crashed down on her head as Amber ambushed her. Vaggie dove to the ground, throwing her arms over her hooded head as both of her friends continued mercilessly pelting her with snowballs.

“Two against one! I surrender! Jesus Christ!” Vaggie managed to shout amid her wheezing laughter. She lifted her head timidly as the assault stopped and managed to discreetly gather another handful of snow as Amber hoisted her by the arm to her feet.

“Taking the lord’s name in vain? And on church grounds, no less?” Amber scoffed with mock disdain.

“Oh no, guess I’m going to Hell,” Vaggie teased as Amber released her hold. Vaggie turned while taking a few careful steps backwards to keep her snowball obscured and caught the strangely dumbstruck look on Charlie’s flushed face. Vaggie grinned and took advantage of the momentary lapse in her friend’s attention to launch the ball into Charlie’s stomach. Gasping with mirth, she skipped away and spun swiftly, tearing off as fast as the snow would allow in the direction of the road.

Amber hooted with glee while Charlie was taken completely off-guard and shouted after Vaggie in surprise. “Hey! Why me?!”

Vaggie could hear her friends take up pursuit as another burst of adrenaline flooded into her veins. There were tears in her eyes now, but Vaggie couldn’t have said if they were from the cold air blasting her in the face or the fiery explosion of joy that had begun to overwhelm her in that moment.

Chapter Text

1994, Early April

Vaggie slowed the little blue coupe to a stop at the curb, amused to see Charlie bouncing on her feet as she loitered outside of her dorm building. She waved enthusiastically as she trotted up while Vaggie leaned across to unlock the door and shove it outward. Grinning, Charlie pulled it open and settled herself neatly in the passenger seat.

“I thought Amber was our ride,” the blonde remarked cheerily as she clicked her seatbelt into place.

“She had to dip. Not sure why.”

“Aww, well, I'm glad you got the car. Mom doing stuff at home again?”

“Nah, she's off at a church thing all day. I think it's a bake sale? Flea market? Like, a raising money kind of thing,” Vaggie said with a shrug as she coaxed the car into motion. “I don't really know. Told her I needed to hit the big art store up north for some stuff. Just gotta be back to pick her up by like six.”

“Oh, that shouldn't be a problem.” Charlie nodded and pulled in a deep breath, slapping her hands lightly on her thighs as she gave Vaggie a brief glance and then turned her attention out the window.

“Yeah,” Vaggie agreed.

“Anything new on your end?”

Vaggie snorted. “Uh, not since we talked… yesterday,” she said drolly.

“You never know!” Charlie huffed, amused.

Vaggie chuckled and turned her full attention back to the road.

There was an extended silence that was beginning to get awkward when Vaggie decided to switch on the radio. She would need to remember to change it back to AM when she picked up her mother, but this drive was long and she wasn't going to subject Charlie to an hour of nothing but her own shitty conversational skills and the unpleasant thrum of road noise. Vaggie tuned it to a modern hits station and caught the delighted smile spreading across her friend’s face in her peripheral vision. Something poppy was currently on the air and Charlie’s shoulders began swaying minutely to the music.

Vaggie grinned softly to herself, eyes returning to the road. She was quite content to just quietly enjoy Charlie’s presence and her friend seemed occupied by the music and the world rolling by. It wasn't until about a half-hour later, when the car merged onto the highway north, that Charlie broke the comfortable silence.

“Thanks for humoring me again, Vaggie. I cannot tell you how glad I am to get out of that dorm,” the blonde groaned as she tossed a glance over to her friend. “I really want the weather to warm up properly.”

“Honestly, I'm happy to be chauffeur,” Vaggie responded with amusement as she eased the car into a comfortable cruising distance behind another vehicle. “This is very high on my list of things I’d rather spend a day doing,” she added casually. Vaggie managed a brief glance at Charlie under the guise of checking the passenger side mirror and felt a spark in her guts. That familiar, beautiful smile was on her friend’s face, as she expected, but Charlie’s cheeks were a bit redder than they had been and she seemed lost for words. Vaggie self-consciously snapped her eyes forward. Shit. It was the legitimate truth, but maybe she should have kept it to herself. Vaggie hoped she hadn't freaked Charlie out just then.

Thankfully, neither got the opportunity to dwell on it. The radio jockey announced the next set of songs and Charlie perked up, reaching across to tweak the volume higher as the first began. “I love this one!” she offered with excitement as her shoulders began to sway to the beat.

“You’re a real tough cookie with a long history, of breaking little hearts like the one in me,” Charlie began to sing in perfect unison with Pat Benatar’s vocals, cutting off Vaggie’s chance to respond and sending an extremely pleasant shiver down the entire length of her body.

“That’s okay, let’s see how you do it. Put up your dukes and let’s get down to it. Hit me with your best shot,” Charlie’s voice was restrained but confident and cut through the extraneous sounds around Vaggie. It lingered in her ears. “Why don’t you hit me with your best shot? Hit me with your best shot, fire away!”

Vaggie couldn’t help the way her lips quirked up and suddenly her friend’s voice rose enthusiastically.

“You come on with it, come on, you don’t fight fair. That’s okay, see if I care. Knock me down, it’s all in vain, I get right back on my feet again,” Charlie continued before launching into the chorus once more.

Vaggie was completely absorbed in the moment and had to fight to keep her grin contained. Charlie had such amazing control of her voice and was able to replicate nuance in the way the song was sung that Vaggie had never bothered to notice before. There were playful and aggressive inflections on some words, but it was the way Charlie lifted her voice coming out of the end of others that really captured Vaggie's attention… and imagination.

It took effort for her to consciously derail her brain lingering on what Charlie might sound like in other, more intimate situations, but Vaggie didn't manage it in time to stop the burst of fire in her guts or the flush of heat to her cheeks. Vaggie was suddenly very intent on the goings-on through her own side mirror, hoping that Charlie hadn't noticed. It would absolutely freak her friend out of she had any inkling of the thoughts that had just crossed Vaggie's mind, she had no doubt.

Charlie finished the song and was quietly beaming to herself as the next track immediately began to play, her fingers tapping along with the beat.

Vaggie had mercifully managed to keep her raunchy musings at bay long enough for the blood to leave her face. She tossed Charlie a glance. “I really like hearing you sing,” Vaggie offered. “Your voice is beautiful.” She hurriedly put her eyes back on the road. Shit. Beautiful? Of all the words to choose…

“Thank you,” Charlie answered, a strange tenderness in her voice, “I'm glad I finally got a chance to sing just for you. I'd be happy to anytime you want. Just gotta ask.”

Vaggie swallowed as Charlie's thoughtful tone coaxed a flock of butterflies to life in her stomach. “Okay, I'll, uh, keep that in mind,” she responded, knowing it would take an act of God to give Vaggie the nerve to actually ask Charlie to sing for her.

“So, um, did you need something specific? At the mall, I mean,” Vaggie inquired after a few more beats of silence.

“Yes, actually! I want to hunt down some black and white Fujifilm stuff. I can only seem to find Kodak around town and wanted to play around with something new for a project we just got.”

“Okay. I'm sure we'll be able to find something, even if the mall doesn't have it.”

“I hope so! What about you? Anything you need?”

Vaggie pursed her lips in thought as she merged around a slower car. “I really could use some art supplies,” she chuckled. “I've got a list in my pocket.”

Charlie nodded, looking thoughtful for another beat. “I was also hoping we could wander around again. Amber was telling me this place is fuckin’ huge,” the blonde continued, her voice shifting to mimic the aforementioned friend.

Vaggie couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of her chest and left a grin on her face in its wake. “Ahaha, yeah, absolutely. Haven’t had much of a chance to hang out up here, so this’ll be new for me, too.”

“Oh!” Charlie chirped, a genuine note of giddiness coloring her voice. “Well, now I’m extra excited!”

Vaggie bit the inside of her cheek, her grin mellowing to a pleasant curl of her lips. She found herself so incredibly torn. The way Charlie made her feel was very nearly intoxicating and Vaggie couldn’t help but look forward to being around her. Another part of Vaggie wished she could just get over whatever kind of crush this was so that she didn’t end up feeling so flustered and awkward constantly. It was a miracle that Vaggie had somehow managed to keep her physical attraction to Charlie contained, even in spite of her slip-up with the scarf back in December.

Vaggie still cringed thinking about the shocked and embarrassed expression she had noticed on Charlie’s face after she’d stepped back. Maybe the cold had been the cause of her friend’s flushed face, but Vaggie’s anxiety refused to accept that explanation. Why the fuck hadn’t she just shown Charlie how to loop the scarf instead of invading her personal space like a creep? Charlie actually accepting her offer of a hug on New Years was assuredly only a testament to the fact that Charlie had been extremely upset.

That fucking hug… Vaggie swallowed as the memory of how it felt set off a firecracker in her guts. Damn it. Why couldn’t her brain stop fixating like this? She was going to blow out her adrenal glands at this rate.

“So, how much longer ‘til we get there?” Charlie inquired with anticipation.

Vaggie blinked, the question mercifully knocking her thoughts aside. She lifted her arm with a shake to force her jacket sleeve back enough that she could read her wrist watch. “Uh, we’re over half way there. So, twenty minutes or so?”

Charlie let out an excited ‘eeee’ and tapped her fingers on her thighs in time to the music that had just picked up again after a block of advertisements, the abrupt opening to Journey’s ‘Any Way You Want it’ immediately catching her attention.

Vaggie could hear Charlie’s quiet humming begin to pick up in volume as the song progressed. It wasn’t much longer before the chorus started, and the blonde simply couldn’t contain herself as she began to sing enthusiastically. Vaggie tried to temper her smile as her head bobbed along with the beat.

“I was alone, I never knew what good love could do,” Charlie crooned as her head started swaying back and forth. “Oh, then we touched, then we sang about the lovin’ things!”

Vaggie was delighted by Charlie’s rendition of this extremely familiar and absurdly catchy song, and as the pre-chorus approached, she found herself compelled to join in.

“All night, all night, oh, every night!” they sang together, and as Vaggie glanced across to the passenger-side mirror she managed to catch the exuberant expression that crossed Charlie’s face. “So hold tight, hold tight, oh baby, hold tight.”

The chorus repeated and Vaggie managed to keep up her part of the duet until the bridge of the song took over, an electric guitar solo taking the place of vocals. Vaggie caught another glance of Charlie’s uncontained excitement and she couldn’t hold back a genuine laugh, her face flushing.

“You sang!” Charlie squealed as the song continued on in the background. She was practically bouncing in her seat. “It was really good!”

“Pff,” Vaggie said with a dismissive shake of her head.

“I’m serious! You were right on the notes. Vaggie, you sounded fantastic. I didn’t know you could sing!”

“I know the words and you were having fun,” Vaggie shrugged, trying to ignore the fresh hit of adrenaline pouring into her veins that the tone of Charlie’s voice had triggered. “I figured I’d join in.”

“I’m very glad you did!”

The heat in Vaggie’s face grew more intense as whatever errant mood that had encouraged her to join in dissipated and left her feeling incredibly self-conscious. She let out a nervous chuckle and anxiously checked the mirrors again as the next track began to play. ‘Rio’ by Duran Duran this time.

Charlie was beaming as she settled herself neatly back into her seat and quietly resumed humming to the music. A sign rushing by them provided a merciful distraction and prompted Vaggie to merge onto an off ramp. Vaggie mentally thumbed through the directions Amber had given her when she’d called to let Vaggie know she was flaking. She was glad they were nearly to their destination. Vaggie needed to move to shake off the jittery energy writhing in her chest.

Charlie had to really fight down the urge to continue singing as the car slowed to a stop at the base of the exit ramp. She saw Vaggie checking for cross traffic and could plainly see how dark her friend’s face had gone after her deluge of compliments. Charlie hadn’t meant to embarrass Vaggie; she had been genuinely thrilled that the woman had opted to join in on that impromptu karaoke session.

Amber backing out of this jaunt last-minute and Charlie finding out that it would just be her and Vaggie had already skyrocketed her mood. Hearing her friend sing unprompted had sent it out of orbit. Charlie ran her fingernails over her thighs, trying to give herself some kind of sensory input to help dispel the oversaturation of excitement writhing around in her.

Fuck, Charlie wished Vaggie had come out to her already. She had to forcefully expel the mental image of herself pinning Vaggie to a nondescript wall in some solitary corner of wherever they were heading. The burst of electricity in her guts caused by the daydream burned into her limbs and compounded the excess of energy. Charlie felt like she could run a marathon.

“So, um, how much longer until we’re there?”

“Uh, like, two minutes or so?”

“Excellent!” Charlie replied with delight. She willed herself to settle and resumed watching the world outside the car. Traffic had grown much more heavy than she was used to back at school. The car eased through a gently-curving intersection and suddenly the sprawling bulk of the mall appeared before them. Charlie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, it is fuckin’ huge.”

“Definitely bigger than the one back home,” Vaggie agreed as she directed the car along the smaller road that skirted the outside of the massive parking lot. She flicked on the turn signal and slowed to a stop to let a line of approaching vehicles pass. “Hopefully we can find that film for you.”

“Hopefully!” Charlie agreed with a nod as the car crossed into the parking lot. “But even if we can’t, this’ll be fun anyway.”

Vaggie navigated carefully and parked the car. Once more she managed to get around to Charlie’s door before the blonde had extricated herself from the cramped seat, and the two were soon on their way toward the building. They approached the entrance they had chosen and Charlie couldn’t help her eyes lifting to regard the enormous multi-storied structure that made up the central hub of the mall. The architecture was very geometric, the rectangles and triangles forming the majority of it interspersed liberally with broad glass panels. It was certainly a far more impressive sight than she had imagined.

The pair opted to take a more leisurely approach for this endeavor than they had back in November, ignoring the directory and instead meandering in a roughly-clockwise rotation to check out the available shops on each level before repeating the process on the next. They chatted idly here and there, but Vaggie seemed quite content to walk in silence and Charlie once more found her attention lingering on her friend rather than the goings-on around them.

Charlie was enjoying Vaggie’s quiet presence, but the energy that had gathered during their drive and dispersed after they had parked was creeping back into her chest. Charlie wanted to talk with Vaggie,—properly talk, not small talk—but was perturbed to find herself at a loss for words. Not knowing what to say to start a conversation was an unfamiliar problem unique to discussions with Vaggie and the frustration was only feeding the unpleasant jitteriness. Charlie cast her eyes about, hoping to catch sight of something that might give her a spark of inspiration. There were some clothing shops, a small kiosk that looked like it was shilling cheap, poorly-made weaponry and knives, and off in the distance what appeared to be a toy store. Hm. That might work.

“I want to go in there!” Charlie pointed, abruptly taking a few long strides as she gestured ahead of them. She turned an excited smile on her friend.

“Okay, sure,” Vaggie said with a nod, a faint smirk on her face as she matched Charlie’s increased pace.

They moved through the threshold of the storefront, skirting around a gaggle of kids who were clustered excitedly around a low, partially-enclosed table. The surface was chaotic with small motorized plastic toys frantically bumping into each-other. Charlie chuckled and then turned her eyes up as they moved further in.

“Looking for something specific?” Vaggie inquired, her gaze lingering on Charlie’s face for just a moment before she tossed a glance down a nearby aisle.

“Not really. I just like looking at this kind of stuff. It’s fun,” Charlie answered with a shrug.

Vaggie’s smile grew deeper and she nodded, apparently expecting an answer of that sort.

They moved into an area containing shelves packed solidly with stuffed animals. Charlie couldn’t help but run her fingers over a few as they passed, delighted by the incredibly soft faux fur of a particularly floppy rabbit. She heard Vaggie make a thoughtful noise and turned to the opposite side of the aisle where her friend was peering at a collection of Ty brand toys.

“This one looks like that little dog you have on your bed. Just… big,” she commented, nodding her head toward a collection of large husky stuffed animals plopped on the shelf.

Charlie smirked, a little bubble of warmth bursting in her chest at the thought of Vaggie paying close enough attention to the things on her bed to recognize one small toy dog out of the numerous stuffed animals that were also piled up there. She made a duck-like face and picked one of the dogs up to look at it more closely. “It really does! Gosh, it’s super cute,” she commented as she brushed her hand over the extra long chest-fur. Charlie turned it over and the legs flopped with a soft rattling sound. “It has beans in its feet!” she observed with delight as she squeezed one of the paws, lifted, and then let it drop to replicate the sound.

Vaggie chuckled and Charlie managed to catch the clandestine glance directed at her face as she turned to put the toy back in its place on the shelf. She forced her eyes to linger on the toy rather than redirect her attention to Vaggie, not wanting make her friend feel awkward that she’d been caught staring.

“I’m surprised you aren’t getting it,” Vaggie remarked as they continued exploring leisurely.

“I mean… it is super adorable and looks snuggly, but I don’t need it,” Charlie offered hesitantly. “I could get you one, though,” she added with a grin.

“If you don’t need it, why would I?” Vaggie gave a dismissive huff.

“Everybody needs cute things that make them happy,” Charlie retorted, tossing a calculating glance over at her friend. “What? You don’t have any stuffed animals?”

“No, uh, I do.”

“Aw! Really?” Charlie's voice was eager. “What is it?”

Vaggie swallowed, hesitating. “It’s just a bear.”

“Something tells me you don’t keep it on your bed, though,” Charlie surmised as she paused to poke through a bin of rubber ducks before quirking an eyebrow at Vaggie.

“Not anymore."

That was the answer Charlie had been expecting, but she suddenly recognized opportunity in the direction the conversation had taken and jumped on it. “’Cause it’s a little kid thing?”

Another moment of hesitation. “I mean, yeah, kinda.”

Vaggie had confirmed her suspicions once more. Charlie scoffed lightly and shook her head, dropping a duck back in its bin. She straightened her back as she turned her gaze on Vaggie’s face. “You don’t need to hide the things you enjoy just because other people say it’s weird or bad, you know,” she stated, her voice taking on a softer, more serious timbre.

“Who cares what everybody else thinks? Do what makes you happy,” Charlie added with a gentle grin, eyes locked on Vaggie’s. The blonde hadn’t been talking about stuffed animals.

Vaggie seemed mildly stunned for a moment before she blinked herself out of it and shrugged dramatically, turning her body to continue moving in the direction the pair had been heading. “I mean… I just kinda grew out of it,” she explained, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced by her own words. “A-and sometimes it’s just… easier.”

It took effort for Charlie to maintain her pleasant smile and casual demeanor as Vaggie’s final statement hit her like a punch to the chest.

“Hm, maybe,” Charlie acquiesced. She didn’t know if Vaggie was aware of how accurately she had read into the hidden meaning behind Charlie’s declaration, but there was no doubt in Charlie’s mind of the intention of her friend’s words. Easier to hide herself meant she was probably afraid, for whatever reason, of coming out. Now Charlie couldn’t stop wondering why.

She took a few quick steps to ease back up to Vaggie’s side and tossed a discrete glance at her friend. Charlie could see the uncomfortable strain in how Vaggie was holding herself and suddenly felt bad about prodding at such a sensitive topic. Charlie pushed back her curiosity and sucked in a breath as she tossed a glance at her watch. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of hungry. Lunchtime?” she inquired cheerily.

“Yeah, I could eat,” Vaggie answered immediately, and Charlie caught the edge of relief in her voice. The beginnings of a smile curled the corners of Vaggie's mouth as she shot a sideways look at her friend.

“My treat?” Charlie asked, smirking.

Vaggie snorted with laughter and shook her head, having anticipated her friend’s offer.

Charlie sighed dramatically before a chuckle broke through. “You’re going to give in eventually, Vaggie. I know it."

Chapter Text

1994, Early May

Charlie trotted up the stairs and made her way through the vestibule into Audio-Logical, muscle-memory guiding her path through the doors.

Mark’s head jerked up at the sound of the bell. “Howdy, Charlie!”

Charlie offered the man a friendly wave as she approached and laid a neatly-folded fabric tote bag on the counter. “Hey! Sorry I haven't been in for a bit. End-of-semester junk eating up my time.” Her eyes flitted over the box of vinyl records he had been cataloging as he neatly pushed them aside.

“I was starting to get worried,” the man chuckled as he crouched below the counter and popped back up with a tray packed with cassettes. “But I have been setting stuff aside for you!”

“Oh! That's wonderful, thank you!” Charlie peered at the cassettes as Mark slid the tray over, plucking one out to inspect more closely. She snorted with laughter. “Dookie?”

“Ha! That's an up-and-coming band. Green Day. This album’s been out for a couple months now and it’s getting a ton of attention. I know you like punk stuff, so I set one aside the last time I got a few in.”

“They're on tour, too,” a voice added from nearby.

Charlie’s head snapped around to regard Amber with surprise and amusement. “Hey! I didn’t see you!”

Amber snorted and hooked a thumb over her shoulder toward the racks of vinyls. “I was digging through some second-hand stuff over there,” she offered.

“Find anything good?”

Amber shrugged. “Maybe a couple? What're you here for?”

“Just felt like stopping in, since I haven't been for a bit.” Charlie slipped the Green Day cassette back into the case and then nodded at Mark. “I’ll probably take all of these. I’m gonna look around a little first.” Mark nodded and went back to his cataloguing.

“Vaggie busy?” Amber commented with a sly smirk as she started back toward the vinyls.

Charlie followed and had to fight back the spark in her chest. She could feel the faintest hint of heat in her cheeks and was glad Amber’s back was facing her. “Uh, I dunno what she’s up to,” Charlie lied, knowing quite well that Vaggie had been coerced by her mother into doing yardwork today.

The punk woman stopped at a section of shelves and crouched to be able to reach one of the crates lined up on the floor under the table. Her fingers slipped to a split in the vinyls where Charlie assumed she’d stopped when she made her presence known at the front of the store. Amber hesitated, head dropping a touch as one of the records caught her attention.

“You've been hanging with Vaggie a lot lately,” Amber remarked casually as she straightened her back and began giving the album in her hands a thorough once-over.

“Yeah,” Charlie said with a nod as she craned her head to read the front of the album her friend was looking at. She couldn’t quite make out the title, but the artist was David Bowie. She made a mental note to look into him. “We've been studying a bunch to prep for the final art history exam,” she continued, watching as Amber set the album on top of another crate and bent to continue her perusing.

“That all?”

Charlie felt a little shiver work down her spine. “What do you mean?” she inquired, feeling compelled to play dumb, though she was confident she understood Amber's implication. In the time she’d known this woman, Charlie had come to realize that underneath Amber’s boisterous and carefree exterior she was extremely intelligent and particularly perceptive in her ability to read people. It did not surprise her in the least that she would pick up on Charlie’s interest in her friend, when Vaggie herself had not.

“Oh, just curious if it's just been school stuff or if you've managed to get Vags to come out of her shell yet.”

That was a tidy sidestep, Charlie thought. “I mean…we hang out here and there. We talk on the phone. But, uh, she hasn't given me her life story or anything,” she answered truthfully. Charlie frowned lightly. It wasn't without her trying.

“Ah, gotcha. I'm honestly not too surprised. Trying to get her to talk about herself is like pulling teeth,” Amber commented with a sigh. “I guess she doesn't want to dump her baggage on anyone. Or maybe she's just scared to.”

Charlie's brows knit together. “Scared? Why?”

Amber made a thoughtful groan. “She's… been through some shit and the last person she… uh… opened herself up to was a fucking asshole.”

An unpleasant weight dropped into Charlie's stomach and she found her eyes flitting around in thought as she stared at nothing in particular. She turned her attention back to Amber, who was looking at another album. Charlie could see her worrying at one of her lip piercings with her tongue.

“When you say ‘opened herself up to’ do you mean like… in a relationship?” Charlie inquired softly.

Amber hesitated and then nodded as she exhaled noisily through her nose.

“Oh,” Charlie murmured. Maybe that was why Vaggie had been so oblivious to her advances, deliberately or otherwise.

“They were older,” Amber offered unprompted. “I told her straight up I didn't like them. They were like a junior or senior in college when she was still a high school sophomore and they'd been hanging around for months before they even started dating. It was fucking creepy. But they were her first major crush and she is incredibly stubborn.” Amber shrugged. “I guess she was just stoked to finally be dating someone and looked right past the shit way she was being treated.”

“I see,” Charlie said as Amber trailed off. She swallowed, debating briefly with herself on whether to press for more information. Charlie's curiosity won out. “What happened?”

“After the shit went down with her dad they just got fed up with how she was acting and dumped her. Told her she was acting like a kid and wasn’t worth their time. No fuckin' compassion, at all. Apparently, they'd been cheating on her, too. I wanted to beat their fuckin’ ass,” Amber explained, her words falling off into a low growl. “Still do.”

“That's awful. Poor Vaggie…” The mention of whatever had happened with Vaggie’s father had spurred her interest, but Charlie kept it to herself. Amber had likely been vague on purpose. Whether Amber knew Vaggie had yet to elaborate about him herself Charlie did not know.

“Yeah. She sorta closed herself off to everybody after that. She doesn't really even talk with me about heavy stuff anymore. Probably because I was kind of a bitch with the ‘I told you so’s,” Amber muttered regretfully. “She just keeps it all bottled up.”

Amber sighed, sliding the inner sleeve of another vinyl out to skim the record inside briefly. She put it back and collected the David Bowie album before standing. Amber turned her gaze back on Charlie. She tugged at the belt looped through her torn-up pants to pull them back up from where they’d slipped as she was crouching. “It's part of why I was so hyped to see her hanging out with you. And looking so happy.” The expression on Amber’s face was morose for a moment before she shook her head slightly and moved to a nearby rack to paw absently at the offerings.

Charlie couldn't think of anything to say, though she managed to nod slightly in acknowledgment.

After a stretch of silence long enough for Amber to go over two more albums, the stocky woman turned and regarded Charlie thoughtfully again. “She just… She just really needs someone to talk to who isn't me.” Amber’s voice was far more earnest than Charlie had ever heard it.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed somberly as she clutched her elbows to her stomach. Something in the way Amber had spoken belied a far deeper meaning to her words. Charlie was confident the astute woman had intuited Charlie's interest in Vaggie. Maybe this was her subtle way of showing her approval. Was this also confirmation that Vaggie was gay? Charlie had clocked the deliberate pronoun usage that Amber had employed that could have suggested she was trying to avoid outing her friend, but Amber still hadn’t outright said it. Charlie was desperately curious, but it felt inappropriate and backhanded to just blatantly ask right now. That, and she really wanted—no, needed—to hear it from Vaggie.

“I was, um, curious if you might have a suggestion for getting her to talk more about herself,” Charlie asked timidly after a moment.

Amber made a disgruntled hum and her eyebrows furrowed as she considered Charlie's query. “I mean, you're already hanging out a ton, so there's that. Maybe…” she paused, the lip piercing twisting in place again, “Maybe you just need to ask her whatever it is you're curious about? I can pretty much guarantee she won't volunteer that kind of stuff unprompted.”

“Yeah, probably not.”

Charlie once more drifted into her own thoughts. What was she curious about?

Well, if Vaggie was gay, for sure. But she didn't feel comfortable asking about that outright. She didn't want to stress Vaggie by backing her into a corner that would force her to either lie or out herself to Charlie before she was ready.

Could she ask about her previous relationship? No… there were similar problems with that, which would likely be compounded by the unpleasant reminder of a cheating ex on top of dredging up whatever tragedy had befallen Vaggie's father.

Her father… Vaggie certainly brought him up frequently. Her tone was always regretful and somber. They must have had a good relationship. Maybe that was an angle? Charlie would need to consider it more thoroughly. And then hope for the right segue. The last thing she wanted to do was push Vaggie away by pressing her too aggressively for information out of the blue.

“What kind of stuff did Vaggie do? I mean… like, before I got here?” Charlie asked after a moment of pondering. Maybe Amber could give her inspiration.

“Well, to be honest, not much. She’d draw a lot. Used to be really good at it, even, but I haven’t seen her with a sketchbook in years,” Amber began. “Other than that, she’d mostly just hang out with me solo. Usually at my place. She’s always been kind of…put off by her mom, so she’s not super comfortable at home.” The woman sighed.

“I’d drag her out now and then, but she’s never been one for social gatherings,” Amber added before grimacing slightly up at the blonde, “as you are well aware.” The orange-haired woman chewed her lip for a moment. “She used to spend a lot of time outside with her dad. Like, a lot. And she was always way more entertained with that nature’y bullshit than I was. S’just kinda boring to me.” Amber shrugged.

Charlie quietly mulled over Amber’s answer as the woman turned back to the rack of records. Outside, huh? Maybe she could convince Vaggie to take her somewhere she used to spend time with her dad? She’d need to be mindful of how she approached that… but it could work.

“So, how’s the stereo stuff treating you?”

Charlie was jostled out of her contemplation to find Amber standing with a small stack of vinyls in her hands as she regarded Charlie with quiet amusement.

“Oh, um, good! Had to switch to using headphones most of the time after classes, though,” Charlie answered with a crooked smirk. “I guess my neighbors don’t appreciate the free musical entertainment.”

Amber snorted. “Fuckin’ troglodytes.”

“Right?” Charlie agreed with a grin.

“Well, while I’ve got you here, wanna get some more suggestions?” Amber inquired with a jerk of her head toward the cassettes.

Charlie’s eyes went wide and she nodded. “Absolutely!” She allowed Amber to lead her across the store and watched as the woman tapped her fingers rhythmically on her chin. “So, you might need to remind me what you’ve got. But uhhh. Okay. I know you’ve got the Ramones. What about the Sex Pistols? The Clash?”

“I did pick up some Sex Pistols stuff a bit ago. Out of curiosity,” Charlie clarified with a mildly embarrassed smirk.

Amber nodded as she gazed over the array of cassettes. She plucked one out, a pleased grin on her face. “Okay, excellent, he’s got the imported one,” Amber said as she handed it to Charlie and then snagged another two.

Charlie quickly read the first one, an eponymous album simply called ‘The Clash', and then the other two; ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’ and ‘Combat Rock.’

“Those are some solid ones. Classic early British punk.” Amber began going down the shelves, pointing out albums as Charlie followed behind and added the ones she didn’t already own to the ever-growing stack in her arms. After about ten minutes Mark appeared with a small box, which Charlie accepted with a laugh.

“Okay, so, these guys,” Amber said as she pulled a predominantly purple cassette case out of its slot, “Pansy Division. They’re queer, actually. This is their first album. Some, uh… interesting stuff. You might dig it. Very least, it’s good to be familiar with ‘em, I think. Queercore’s been gaining traction lately.” Amber trailed off after a moment, humming thoughtfully as she shot a glance toward Charlie, who quirked an eyebrow.

Amber tapped her fingertips on her chin again as she turned back to the cassettes. “I wonder if I can hunt down some riot grrrl stuff for you. Bikini Kill, maybe. That’ll be harder, though. Damn, shoulda picked up more down in D.C.,” she mumbled absently as she scanned the shelves. Amber peered more closely after a moment and grabbed a case, swinging her arm out and placing the cassette on the top of Charlie’s collection without even asking. “At the very least along that line, you can’t go wrong with Joan Jett.” Amber was immediately back to her task.

Charlie had to cut her very-focused friend off after another fifteen minutes or so, laughing as she carefully balanced the overfull box on one hand and lightly tapped Amber’s shoulder with the other. “I need to make sure I can pay for all of this,” Charlie huffed.

“Ha, right. Sorry,” Amber responded, looking mildly embarrassed as she abruptly came out of her music-inspired fugue state. “That should, uh, keep you busy for a while, at least.”

The pair of women migrated back to the front of the store and paid for their selections, Mark happily stacking Charlie’s cassettes into the tote she had left on the counter when she’d arrived. This was routine.

Amber tucked her records neatly under an arm as she led them out of the store. Charlie matched her friend’s pace as they made their way along the sidewalk, bag swinging gently from her hand. She was chewing her lip, mind returning to the topic of Vaggie.

“This might be kind of… random,” Charlie said suddenly, voice somewhat uncertain, “but, does Vaggie ever like… talk about me?”

Amber’s mouth pinched into a thoughtful smirk, her eyes turning skyward for a few moments as she very obviously considered her response. “I’m gonna be honest, Charlie, she doesn’t-,” Amber said carefully, and Charlie was hit with a remarkably strong sense of disappointment before the other woman continued, “-because she always gets real flustered every time you’re brought up and I can’t help but rag on her about it.”

The disappointment pivoted into a pleasant, bubbly sensation that danced around in Charlie’s chest. Flustered? “Huh,” she mumbled softly.

Amber tossed Charlie a softer smile. “I don’t want to put words in her mouth, but I know Vaggie does genuinely enjoy being around you.”

Charlie swallowed back a little burst of butterflies and turned her gaze to the sidewalk. After a few paces of silence she sighed. “I really hope she opens up to me,” she murmured.

“Eh, just give her time. I'm sure she will,” Amber offered, and Charlie was stricken by the sincerity in the woman’s voice.

Amber was worrying at her lip piercing again. “Listen, Charlie,” she began hesitantly, “I have no idea why you decided to go to this backwater school, but I’m really, really glad you did. Something about you is just what Vaggie needed.”

Charlie had to clear her throat lightly before she could force out a response. “I… um… that makes me happy to hear,” she said quietly.

Amber stopped as they reached an intersection, turning to give Charlie a genuine, if slightly crooked, smile. “Well, here’s my stop.”

Charlie nodded. “Thanks for the help with the new albums, Amber.”

“No problem.”

The blonde shifted uneasily and turned a concerned frown on the other woman. “Please don't tell her what we talked about,” Charlie pleaded quietly.

Amber snorted. “Oh, fuck no. She’d disembowel me on the spot,” Amber responded animatedly as her customary grin split her face.

“Thanks,” Charlie replied with an anxious smile. Charlie offered Amber a farewell and continued on toward her dorm a few blocks distant.

As Charlie walked, she felt a strange mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Any doubts she had cautiously maintained about Amber’s awareness of Charlie’s romantic intentions regarding her friend evaporated. The woman’s words rang in the blonde’s head. Just what Vaggie needed. Amber absolutely approved of the relationship, and seemed like she was even encouraging it, if her comment about ‘ragging on’ Vaggie any time Charlie was mentioned was to be believed.

Still, even with that additional push, Charlie had gotten nowhere. Vaggie remained firmly in the iron grasp of her own self-imposed repression. Whatever was holding her back must be significant… Charlie felt her brows furrow and began chewing her lip, her mind entirely occupied with brainstorming potential avenues she could take to try and coax Vaggie out of her shell.

Charlie was so absorbed in her thoughts that she completely missed Vaggie approaching her from the direction of her dorm building until the woman called her name.

“Oh, shit! Vaggie!” Charlie blurted, her heart thumping agitatedly from the shock. “I'm so sorry! I was really lost in thought there.”

“It happens,” Vaggie commented with a shrug as they came to a stop on the sidewalk.

“What are you doing out this way? I thought you had yardwork to do?” Charlie queried with a wide smile, genuinely delighted by her friend’s sudden appearance. She couldn't help but notice that Vaggie's hair was mussed and damp. It looked absurdly attractive like that…

“I managed to finish up faster than I thought,” Vaggie offered with a genuinely enthusiastic smile.

“That’s great!”

Vaggie nodded and let out a little huff of laughter. “Sorry about the hair,” she said abruptly, gesturing at her head. Had to shower. I got really gross pulling weeds.”

“Oh psh, you don’t need to apologize for that,” Charlie snorted, but her mind was now supplying her with images of what Vaggie might look like covered in sweat and on her knees. She had to bite the inside of her cheek quite hard to curtail them and was immediately hit by a wave of guilt and embarrassment. Holy fuck, why was she being such a creep about this woman? Charlie had never had this problem before. Horny daydreams, sure, but never this explicit while actively in front of the subject of her musings.

“Glad I did now, though! I probably would have missed you if I'd've headed straight over.”

“Probably, actually. I was at A.L.” Charlie agreed.

Vaggie nodded, grinning. “I could tell,” she said with a chortle and a nod at the tote bag in Charlie's hand. “I figured you were off somewhere like that. I tried to call, but you didn't pick up.”

“Is that why you walked here?” Charlie asked, a bit taken aback. “Were you worried?”

Vaggie shrugged, hesitating for a beat before she answered. “I mean… not really? I, uh, just had nothing better to do, so…” She turned a mildly self-conscious smirk up at Charlie.

“Well, I'm really glad you did!” Charlie offered with a tender smile. The unpleasant energy in her chest turned to warmth. Had Vaggie been worried? Or… did she want to talk with her that badly? Maybe Vaggie wanted to see her? This had been the day of the week when their schedules dictated that they didn't cross paths on campus… Charlie legitimately couldn't think of any other reasons why Vaggie might be here right now. The warmth spread to the tips of her limbs.

“I figured, i-if you have time, we could get a study session in tonight? And maybe you can show me what you picked up?” Vaggie's voice and expression were hopeful.

“Oh! Yes! absolutely!” Charlie answered with enthusiasm as she started toward the dorm building without a second thought, Vaggie immediately at her side.

Just what Vaggie needed.

Chapter Text

1994, Mid-May

“Augh, I'm so happy the week is over,” Charlie groaned as she joined Vaggie on the sidewalk outside of the main campus building. “Why do I need to take a math class, anyway?”

Vaggie chuckled, “Same reason I’ve got to take a science course?”

“Well, thank fuck it's almost over. Just a couple more weeks,” Charlie said with a sigh as she adjusted the strap of her bag, which had bound up on her t-shirt.

Vaggie’s smile widened as she watched the sidewalk ahead of them, thumbs hooked on her pockets. It was kind of weird to think that the second semester was almost over. She hadn’t been excited to start yet another year of school. It was just another checkbox she had to mark off on her path to adulthood or whatever. But after Charlie showed up…? Getting out of the house and going to school just for the chance to be around her was… Well, Vaggie looked forward to it.

Vaggie still didn’t understand why Charlie seemed so keen on being her friend. Vaggie didn’t do anything exciting, she rarely—i.e. never—went out just for fun of her own volition, Charlie generally had to be the one instigating conversation. Vaggie was just kinda there, feeding off of the blonde’s incredible energy and joy for life. It was seeping in, though, and beginning to stick. Vaggie’s daily outlooks weren’t so dour, she didn’t immediately jump to the pessimistic view anymore, it was flat-out easier to get out of bed in the morning. Charlie was like Vaggie’s catalyst to become a better version of herself. She snorted softly; she must still have science on the brain.

“Something on your mind?” Charlie asked, tilting her head to peer over at Vaggie.

Vaggie shook her head. “Ah, no, not really.”

“Mmm, okay. Well, now that it’s properly warm again I wanted to ask you something,” Charlie began as she straightened herself.

Vaggie tossed a glance over and saw her chewing the inside of her lip thoughtfully. “Yeah?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d be willing to maybe give me a tour of the town.”

Vaggie frowned a bit. “I, uh…”

“Not like… to popular places,” Charlie added quickly. “I kinda want to know where you’d go to relax or have fun. I figure, you’re pretty reserved, so you’d know some nice quiet places to spend your time if you needed to get outside.”

Vaggie’s frown deepened for a moment before she swallowed. “Sure, um,” she began tentatively as she fought the butterflies in her stomach down, “We’re actually not too far from one.”

Charlie’s face lit up. “Really? Could you show me now?”

Vaggie offered Charlie a smile as the butterflies grew in number. “I don’t have anything planned for the rest of the day,” she answered with a shrug.

Charlie squealed and bounced on her feet a bit. Vaggie snorted with laughter.

When they reached the next intersection Vaggie steered them left, rather than heading straight like they would if they were heading back to Charlie’s dorm or if Vaggie was walking home.

“So where are you taking me?” Charlie asked with excitement.

The way she had phrased that made Vaggie’s heart flutter. Like they were on a date.

“There’s a creek that runs through the middle of town. I uh, there’s a bridge that I like. Used to spend a lot of time there, but haven’t been in a while.”

“O-h-h-h, that’s perfect,” Charlie said with quiet anticipation.

The pair grew silent as they walked. It was a nice day, sunny and warm. Birds were out in force. Plenty of people were taking advantage of it; jogging, tending to yard work, walking their dogs. Vaggie was careful to maintain her distance from Charlie. It would be far too easy for them to look like a couple and that was a rumor Vaggie didn’t need floating around. The road split off at an angle and Vaggie followed it onto a pleasant boulevard lined in enormous sycamore trees, their trunks overflowing onto the sidewalk and curb.

Vaggie raised her head to look into the distance and felt her chest tighten. She could see the old bridge up ahead. She hadn’t come here since her dad had died.

Charlie must have seen it, too, because her strides grew longer in her excitement to reach it. She tossed a glance back at Vaggie. “Is that it?” she asked giddily.

The blonde’s smile banished Vaggie’s unpleasant thoughts like a spotlight into shadow. “Yep,” Vaggie answered with a nod, lip curling into a gentle smile. “Never seen someone so excited about a bridge before,” she added with a laugh.

“I’m just excited, in general. And really happy you’re showing me around,” Charlie answered, teeth flashing as she turned forward and fell back into step with Vaggie, who had increased her pace a touch.

Vaggie huffed. “Well, it isn’t anything special.” Insofar as bridges went, anyway.

“We’ll see,” Charlie retorted.

It didn’t take them much longer to reach the bridge; an old thing made of stone that spanned about sixty feet over a wide gulley. The structure had obviously been repaired numerous times, with patches of concrete here and there. A concrete sidewalk had been added to one side, while the remainder had been paved in asphalt, just wide enough for a single car to pass over. It wasn't heavily-traveled. Nestled at the bottom of the plant-covered embankment was a shallow, gentle creek that sparkled pleasantly in the sunlight.

Charlie trotted ahead, fingers trailing along a steel railing that had been added at some point in the past, its glossy green paint fading and chipped. She paused at the highest point of the gentle arch and planted her hands on the metal, leaning forward to be able to get a good look at the water and scenery below.

“Oh, wow,” Charlie said softly as Vaggie approached. “This is gorgeous. So calm.”

Vaggie stopped a few feet short of Charlie and looked out over the rail. “Yeah, it’s really nice here. Nice to just sit and listen to the water and birds,” she commented quietly. Vaggie couldn’t help the tightness in her chest and throat as she looked down into the lightly-wooded space below. The sun shone through the foliage, dappling the fern-covered ground and water and filling the air with brilliant green that shimmered as a barely-perceptible breeze shifted the leaves.

Vaggie moved to prop her foot on a lip of concrete against the low stone wall that held the railing aloft. She folded her arms and leaned forward. Her eyes moved lower, to the boulders stacked on either side of the bridge that led down to the bank. She blinked and turned her attention away. Vaggie was now looking at nothing in particular, but the familiarity of this place had set her mind churning. Memories of her childhood and the time she had spent in this very spot with her father had surfaced in force and her desire to chat had dwindled away in their wake.

Next to her, Charlie chewed her lip as she looked down toward the gently flowing water, casting an occasional concerned glance over to her silent friend. She pushed off of the rail.

Vaggie glanced up as movement drew her attention and she watched as Charlie started off toward the other side of the bridge. “Charlie?” Vaggie queried with a sudden pang of worry that her morose mood change had offended the other woman.

“I've never seen a creek before, I wanna get closer,” Charlie answered cheerily.

Vaggie's dour thoughts scattered as she hurried to catch up. She came upon Charlie as she was gingerly stepping down the boulders heaped up along the bridge abutment. The path was well-travelled and Vaggie moved along the stones with ease, but a combination of unfamiliarity and high-heeled boots seemed to be giving Charlie trouble.

“How have you never seen a creek before?” Vaggie asked with amusement as she maneuvered herself around her friend to the rocky bank of the water and offered a hand as Charlie stumbled.

“Well, not one like this,” Charlie amended as she gratefully accepted the assistance. She clung tightly to Vaggie's arm as she shifted herself onto the rocky creek bank. “Whoof, that was tricky,” Charlie said with a relieved smile as she lowered her bag onto a boulder.

“It’d be much easier without those on,” Vaggie offered with a laugh as she shot a downward glance at Charlie's boots and tossed her backpack aside.

Charlie looked down with a pout and then promptly bent over to unzip the fashionable red leather boots, kicking them off into a little nook in the boulders. Her socks joined them and then she straightened with a pleased smirk. “Done.”

Charlie was wearing shorts and Vaggie couldn’t help but observe how much longer her legs looked without her shoes on. A pulse of heat in her gut warned her to shut down that train of thought. Instead, Vaggie snorted with amusement and observed Charlie as she approached the water, peering first upstream and then down, underneath the bridge.

“So, what kind of stuff can you do in a creek?”

Vaggie moved up next to Charlie and glanced out with her. “Well, you can fish. Or swim if it’s deep enough. There’s a couple spots a little ways downstream that are good for that. This time of year isn’t the best; the water hasn’t warmed up enough. I mostly just like to muck around catching stuff. It’s fun. Doesn’t really have much of a purpose, though.”

“Having fun is a plenty good purpose,” Charlie asserted as she put her hands on her hips.

“Fair enough,” Vaggie said with a smirk. She was abruptly seized with a compulsion and bent to untie her sneakers, tossing them and her socks over with Charlie’s boots before she rolled her pant legs to above her knees.

Charlie was watching her with interest. “Getting in?” she asked, sounding remarkably excited.

Vaggie nodded then cast her gaze toward the water. With careful steps she waded in, ignoring the chill water while remaining alert for anything sharp or dangerous under the surface. She’d found plenty of littered bottles here in the past. After she was about fifteen feet away from the bank she turned back to Charlie with a beckoning hand. “C'mon. You wanted me to show you the creek. The good stuff is actually in it,” Vaggie called with humor lacing her voice.

Charlie frowned for a moment and then tentatively dipped a foot in the water, gasping at the chill once it was halfway submerged.

“It's not actually all that cold. Maybe like 60 degrees? You get used to it fast,” Vaggie offered, waving her hand encouragingly.

“If you say so,” Charlie responded as she very slowly worked her way over the algae-slick rocks toward her friend.

“Alright, so, if you just stand right there, I'll see if I can find a crayfish to show you,” Vaggie announced as she turned herself to face upstream and hunched forward.

“What's a crayfish?” Charlie queried as she bent over, mirroring the position Vaggie had taken up.

“I'll show you, just watch,” Vaggie answered, only mildly surprised at Charlie's lack of knowledge. This wasn't a pastime she expected a rich kid to have had growing up. Vaggie began to scan the water carefully, holding a hand out to cast a shadow to block the bright reflections of light from the sun. After a moment she spotted a likely rock and lowered her arms into the water.

“I'll put money on something being under here. I'm gonna flip it real gentle,” Vaggie explained as she grabbed the edges of a large, flat rock in front of her. Deftly, she lifted and turned it over toward herself. The movement barely disturbed the stream bed. “If you do it like that, facing upstream, you don't get a bunch of shit kicked up to cloud the water where you’re looking. Ah!” Vaggie was suddenly giddy, her attention laser-focused on a small brownish-red blob that had skittered out of the hole uncovered by the stone she had moved.

Charlie craned her head with eager curiosity, but frowned after a moment. “I don't see anything.”

Vaggie dipped her hands under the water and shifted her stance. Her nose was only a few inches from the surface as she locked her sight onto the tiny shelled target cautiously moving along. With deft movements Vaggie positioned her hands at the tail end of the creature and then made a swift grab. She straightened, grinning with triumph as she presented a very disgruntled crustacean, held belly-out to Charlie from within a pincer-like grip between her thumb and forefinger.

Charlie made a little shriek of glee and then bent forward. “It's like a tiny lobster!”

Vaggie laughed and pulled the crayfish back as her friend reached out to touch it. “They pinch and it hurts,” she warned.

Charlie withdrew her hand, smiling. “Right. Makes sense,” she commented as Vaggie bent to place the creature back in the water. “It’s really cute.”

“There you go, little buddy. I'll put your house back,” Vaggie said as she shifted the rock as close to its original position as she could manage. She straightened her back, rubbing her hands on her pant legs as she turned back to Charlie, who was regarding her with a strangely soft expression. Vaggie suddenly felt self-conscious. “You okay?”

Charlie blinked hastily and redirected her gaze back to the water. “Ah, yeah! Do you know how to catch anything else?”

Vaggie managed to fight back a puzzled frown as her brain tried to parse the look that had been on Charlie's face. After a moment the other woman's question registered in her mind. “Um, frogs and turtles, maybe. They're a lot harder to find, though. Other stuff would need nets or rods.”

Charlie nodded and then turned her head back toward the bank. “I think I’m gonna hop out. This is really cold.”

Vaggie chuckled and carefully followed Charlie, hands ready to catch her if she stumbled on one of the slippery rocks below their feet. They reached the bank without incident and shook out their legs to work off the chill. The women spent a few minutes getting dry before Vaggie fetched her shoes and Charlie’s boots. They got them on and Charlie rose to her feet, looking around with interest as Vaggie continued lacing up her sneakers. Vaggie turned her head as Charlie moved in her peripheral vision. She was meandering downstream, looking around with delighted curiosity. It made Vaggie feel inordinately happy to see her friend thoroughly enjoying what most people would consider mundane and unworthy of attention.

Vaggie turned back toward the water, arms crossed over her chest as her mind began to wander. It was a nice day, and she was glad she had been able to spend even a small chunk of it with Charlie. It had been particularly cathartic to get to fool around in the water, even as brief as it had been. She hadn’t done it in years.

“Ah! Fucking hell!” Charlie barked suddenly, swiftly pulling her arm up against her chest. “That hurts!” she whined, backing away from a waist-high stand of dark green plants with wide, serrated leaves covered in what looked like fine fuzz.

Vaggie's attention shifted immediately, realizing without hesitation what had just transpired. She grimaced and rushed to Charlie's side. “Shit, I should have warned you not to touch that stuff. Stinging nettle. Hurts like hell. I'm really sorry,” Vaggie said with a frown as a genuine, tight feeling of concern bloomed in her chest. She reached for Charlie's arm, which Charlie offered willingly, and gently turned it to assess the damage. Vaggie chewed her lip as she took note of the trace of a red rash that began to bloom across Charlie's skin.

“It’s okay,” Charlie replied in a voice colored by mild distress. She sucked a hissing breath in through her teeth, reaching to rub at the injury before Vaggie gently intercepted her hand.

“Don't rub it, it'll make it worse. Here,” Vaggie said as she carefully tugged Charlie’s arm toward the water. “Dip it in here to rinse it off. I know something that might help but I need to find it first.” She watched as Charlie followed her instructions, smirking lightly at the prolonged and dramatic sigh of relief the blonde-haired woman let out as the cold creek water washed over the burning rash. Turning away, Vaggie cast her eyes about for another plant and was glad to catch sight of its powdery green stems and soft, rounded leaves immediately just a few feet upstream. Vaggie was grateful for how prolific it was.

Vaggie carefully collected a few stems and returned to where Charlie was hunched over the water. “Here,” she said as she sat on a nearby boulder, “jewelweed.”

Charlie grimaced as she pulled her arm from the creek and shifted herself into a seated position next to her friend. Her expression was quizzical as she noticed Vaggie begin to smash her find into her palms.

Vaggie did her best to work the easily-crushed stems and leaves into a pulp and then held a hand out for Charlie's arm. “This should help a little,” Vaggie explained as she tenderly rubbed the plant mash onto her friend’s burgeoning rash.

Charlie frowned skeptically, but her eyebrows rose suddenly in surprise. “Whoa, it actually does.”

Vaggie smiled with genuine relief and sat back, tossing the blob of green plant goop into the water before wiping her palms on her thighs. “I'm glad. Nettle really sucks. Supposedly, it’s edible and has medicinal uses.”

“Medicinal uses?”

“You can treat a bunch of stuff with it, I guess? But it spreads like crazy and it's totally covered in tiny little needly things that have some kind of acid in them, if I'm remembering right. That's why you shouldn't rub at it. Makes it worse.” Vaggie shrugged.

Charlie had her eyes glued on Vaggie's face, apparently keenly interested in what her friend was explaining. She let her arm rest in her lap. “How did you know that other plant would help?”

Vaggie pursed her lips as her stomach fell. “My dad taught me. He used to bring me here a lot when I was younger.”

Charlie was silent for a long space of time while Vaggie looked out over the creek, forearms resting on her thighs. So many memories here. She could feel the tightness in her throat return and blinked a few times to drive away tears that had suddenly begun to form.

“I'm... I'm sorry if this is rude of me, but, um… what happened to your dad?” Charlie asked timidly.

Vaggie sighed. She’d been waiting for this question and was actually surprised it had taken this long for Charlie to ask it. Being prepared for it didn't make talking about it any easier. “It’s not rude… I talk about him enough.” Her voice was quiet and strained.

“Vaggie, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me,” Charlie said, sounding distressed.

Vaggie turned her head to look at Charlie, a sad smile on her face. “My dad died when I was sixteen. He, um-" she had to pause as her grief reared up, swallowing hard, “-he was hit walking home.” Vaggie faced the creek again and gazed into the water as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of their school a few blocks distant. “He used to teach. It was snowy, a… uh… a drunk driver lost control of their car.”

Charlie's eyes widened with sudden realization before her expression became sad and concerned. “Vaggie…”

“It was instant, at least,” Vaggie managed to say before her throat closed up. She lowered her head, a pained expression taking over her face.

Vaggie heard Charlie shift, the crunch of rounded river stone betraying the movement of her legs as she turned, twisting her torso to face her friend more directly. Charlie peered over at her with sad eyes. “I can't even imagine how horrific that would be.”

Vaggie watched the concern and sympathy play across her friend’s face. She saw Charlie’s shoulders shift a little and then she hesitated before reaching her arm out to place a palm on Vaggie's forearm. The touch was warm and comforting and it inexplicably prompted the tight pain in Vaggie’s chest to begin easing off. Vaggie shifted her attention to Charlie's eyes. They were shimmering.

“I'm so sorry.”

Vaggie maintained her stare for a moment more before she forced out an unenthusiastic smile, lowering her eyes. “I appreciate that,” she murmured. A soft tingle worked down her body when Charlie squeezed her arm gently.

“Do you want to tell me about him? It seems like you really loved him. I’d be happy to listen,” Charlie offered, her voice unbelievably soft.

Vaggie regarded Charlie again, once more on the verge of tears.

There was worry in Charlie’s eyes, her eyebrows drawn together as she watched Vaggie with quiet patience. “You don’t have to…”

Vaggie gave her friend a genuine, appreciative smile and took a deep breath, her mind thumbing through what she was going to tell Charlie. Her eyes shifted to their surroundings, looking at nothing in particular while she thought. “He was the most supportive person in my life. He taught me about so much. He was always there for me, he never judged, never got mad. Just… infinite patience,” Vaggie said, fretfully clutching her hands between her knees. She swallowed, forcing herself to breathe calmly. “I… I could talk to him about everything. Tell him anything.”

Vaggie’s head dropped as her face twisted with grief, closing her eyes tightly as tears rolled over her cheeks. Her father had been the only person, besides Amber, that Vaggie had come out to at the time. She was fourteen. He had been a little taken-aback, but was immediately supportive. It had been such an overwhelming relief that Vaggie had spent the better part of an hour just crying while he held her.

Vaggie had asked him not to tell her mother and he never did. Vaggie knew he never would have until she said it was okay. After that he made it his mission to redirect conversations whenever her mother prodded about crushes and boyfriends. Her mom had never been shy about voicing her eagerness to have grandchildren, a prospect that, quite frankly, scared the shit out of Vaggie. Now, she just had to take the onslaughts head-on every time. It was torturous.

“I love my mom, but she… she’s got a temper and… opinions. She can be really judgmental. It’s hard to talk to her. I just…” Vaggie tilted her head toward the sky, sniffing hard as she tried to get her emotions under control. “I just miss him. So much.”

“He sounded like an amazing father,” Charlie said softly, sliding her hand down to place it on top of Vaggie’s.

Vaggie hesitated for a moment before she turned her palm up, allowing Charlie to take her hand. She squeezed tightly. “He was,” Vaggie mumbled as her grief began to mingle with that tingling warmth that Charlie was feeding into her through their contact. She sucked in a heavy breath and straightened her slumped posture. “I’m sorry for getting all soppy on you.”

“Don’t apologize. I asked. It’s good for you to be able to talk about things like this,” Charlie replied firmly. “I’m honestly touched you were willing to share this with me.”

Vaggie nodded and turned her head to offer Charlie a tired grin. Charlie smiled back and the warmth began burning through the pain Vaggie's chest, making her feel lighter. “I dunno… you’re just easy to talk to. I, um, don’t have many people in my life I can say that about.”

Charlie pursed her lips and squeezed Vaggie’s hand again. She peered at her watch and then regarded her friend thoughtfully. “Hey, um, do you want to go get something to eat? It’s almost dinnertime and I’m kinda starving.”

Vaggie frowned and looked at her own watch. There really was nothing stopping her from accepting the offer. Her mother was working late today, at least if her note on the fridge was to be believed. “I uh,” she said with a sigh as she glanced back at Charlie’s face, “Yeah, that would be nice.”

Charlie’s smile took on a mildly mischievous air. “Will you let me pay for your food this time?”

Vaggie grimaced. “I… I might have to. I don’t think I’ve got more than change in my pocket.”

Charlie’s smile grew wide and she stood, pulling at Vaggie’s hand. “Do you want to just get some McDonald’s?”

Vaggie allowed herself to be tugged to her feet. “Sounds good to me.”

“Oh, maybe I’ll get a happy meal! I think the toys are Animaniacs right now.”

Vaggie couldn’t help but laugh.

Charlie returned to her dorm with her mind buzzing from the day’s events. She entered and kept her back to the door, stepping slowly backwards to shut it with a click. For a long moment she didn't move, she simply rested her shoulder blades against the wood while she stared at nothing and thought.

This had gone past a mere physical attraction. Even calling it an infatuation would be lying to herself. The swirling sensation of heat that had been building in her the entire time she had been in Vaggie's presence today had worked its way to her stomach and up into her chest. She felt like electric butterflies had taken wing inside her and they could not be calmed. Every thought of Vaggie fed them, sending fresh jolts sparking through her body, and she couldn't stop thinking about her.

What was she going to do?

Charlie took a deep breath as she set her bag on the floor then kicked off her boots before she moved across the room and let herself fall backwards diagonally onto her bed. She stared at the plastic stars stuck to the ceiling above her.

Her father had told her, repeatedly, not to get too attached to anyone. She was only staying long enough to graduate and that meant she'd only be here for another two years. Charlie knew her parents wouldn't necessarily care if she was having sex with anyone. It was a part of life and most people needed it and the chemicals it released to maintain their mental health. They were fully aware that Charlie was a young adult with an active sex drive even if her decades of attempts at meaningful relationships had been entirely fruitless thus far. Charlie had never been concerned about that.

But this… was she falling for Vaggie? Like… falling falling? Her parents never outright said it, but Charlie wasn't stupid. “Don't get too attached" was her father's kind way of saying “under absolutely no circumstances are you allowed to even consider a serious long-term relationship with a mortal human while on Earth.” So, of course that's what would happen. And with literally the first human she spoke to when she arrived. Of course.

“Fuck,” Charlie sighed, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes.

What am I going to do?

Charlie wracked her brain. She had to think about this logically. Or at least try. Sex? Fine, cool. That was okay. A relationship? No good. Bad. Forbidden. Sex with Vaggie? An eruption of lightning in her stomach met that thought. A relationship with Vaggie? Charlie’s body began to burn.

Fuck.

Okay… damage control. If this was going to happen—and Charlie had to admit, at this point, that it probably would—she needed to make sure it didn't get out of hand.

But… but Vaggie had to be considered here, too… she was a person with a life of her own. A mortal life. Charlie knew, by now, that Vaggie was gay. Why she didn't want to admit it, Charlie didn't know, but there was no denying it. Her talks with Amber had all but confirmed it and Charlie had seen enough dark flushes of her friend’s cheeks to get the hint that the attraction between them was mutual. With the exception of the hug on New Years and today, Vaggie had remained very carefully at arm’s length after the scarf incident. The flush of her face hadn’t just been the cold.

Should Charlie just let this mutual pining remain unresolved until she graduated? Yeah, probably. Was she worried that doing so would stress them both out and erode their friendship during that time? ...Yes, incredibly. And after Charlie graduated, she was just supposed to cut and run… and that meant never seeing Vaggie again. The burning turned frigid and there was a painful tightening in Charlie's chest.

Charlie let out a low groan. No. Demons traveled to Earth all the time. She wasn't explicitly forbidden by Heaven from doing so, like her parents. Satan had no authority to stop her. She didn't rule Hell…yet, so Heaven wouldn't care…probably.

Hopefully….

By the time rule passed to her… well, Vaggie was mortal and Charlie's say in their relationship would be nonexistent one way or another by then, anyway. Visiting Vaggie? Charlie could make that work.

If Charlie did pursue this… what was the chance that it went the same way as all of her other relationships? Likely. It was very likely. Okay. They both just had to get it out of their systems within the next two years. Doable. The only hurdle was that Vaggie needed to choose this. Charlie would not, under any circumstances, force herself on Vaggie. Charlie would just… drop hints to encourage her to come out of her shell.

What was a little more flirting?

Chapter Text

1994, Mid-May

Vaggie chewed her lip as she loitered on the sidewalk outside the fine art building on campus. The day had been reasonably warm, but now that the sun had dropped, the temperature was going with it. She was beginning to seriously consider untying her flannel shirt from around her waist and putting it on, though Vaggie knew she’d probably end up taking it off when she started walking again. She hugged her elbows to herself and glanced around as she tried to fight off her impatience.

“Come on, Amber,” Vaggie muttered. Her mother would be annoyed as it was and by now Vaggie wasn't going to let her friend go straight home. Nope, she was getting her ass dragged to Vaggie's house to own up to why Vaggie was late. Maybe, just maybe Vaggie could avoid the boyfriend bullshit tonight with Amber as her alibi.

Vaggie tried to look casual as evening walkers ambled by. At least it was a nice clear night. It would be another week or so until the next full moon, but it was still bright enough to cast a soft white light over her surroundings. Vaggie hugged herself tighter and sighed, looking up into the trees for any sign of early fireflies. Not yet.

Her gaze drifted to the moon above her. She wondered if her old telescope was still in the attic. Charlie would probably get a kick out of that. Vaggie's chest fluttered.

She heard a weird click from nearby and pulled her attention down and toward it. A car with a missing muffler roared by in that moment, the headlights glaring brightly in Vaggie's eyes as her gaze was instinctually drawn to the new sound. She cursed under her breath and tried to blink away the spots now blinding her to anything in the darkness.

“I am so fuckin' sorry.”

Vaggie’s head swung around at the sound of her friend’s voice.

Amber was huffing as she joined Vaggie on the sidewalk. “I had to get that painting done so I can get it varnished before next week. I used so much fucking Liquin.”

Amber planted her fists on her hips and sucked in air while Vaggie snorted and shook her head. “I have no idea what that means.”

“Liquin? It's, uh, if I mix it into the paint it helps it dry faster,” Amber said dissmissively before she took one final huge inhale. “You get your thing done?”

Vaggie nodded. “There was a hell of a line for the mat cutters but everything’s all mounted. It's not winning any awards but I think I did an okay job.” Vaggie offered a shrug as the pair started down the sidewalk in the direction of their homes.

“Cees get degrees,” Amber said with a laugh.

The pair continued on in silence for another ten minutes or so before they reached the intersection where they normally split off.

“Nah.” Vaggie abruptly fisted Amber's patch-covered jean vest and tugged her along. “I am not getting a dressing down from my mom because I was late waiting for you.”

Amber laughed but allowed herself to be moved. “She's still on you about that?” Her voice was sympathetic.

“Always.”

There was another stretch of silence before Amber spoke up again. “So, Charlie seems to really like hanging with you,” she commented mildly.

Vaggie felt a little tingle in her stomach. “I don't understand why,” she retorted.

“Pff. Because you're fun to be around?”

“E-e-eh,” Vaggie responded incredulously. “She's just been helping me study. I got a great grade last semester in that graphic design class. She offered to keep studying with me for the art history one since she’s in that, too.”

“Mm-hm,” Amber hummed doubtfully.

“What?” Vaggie asked with a touch of irritation.

“I dunno. I just think she likes you.”

“Yeah. As a friend.”

Amber didn't respond, but now Vaggie's head was fixating. Once more she had fallen into her friend’s trap. “If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting again, Amber, I’m pretty sure she's straight. I've seen her eyeballing dudes. Like that guy at the party. Not once at any girls.”

Amber’s eyebrows rose just about into her hairline as she shot Vaggie a silent stare. She maintained the look for a moment, making sure Vaggie saw it, before she rolled her eyes and faced forward again.

“What? She hasn't!”

“I didn't say nuthin'!”

Vaggie huffed. “She’s pretty straight forward, if she's interested in me like that—which she isn't—I'm sure she would have just come out and said so.”

“Unless she wants to make sure you're comfy enough around her to just ask her yourself,” Amber suggested bluntly.

“Or she has a boyfriend back home and she's just a friend,” Vaggie countered forcefully, finally hitting the point of feeling flustered. “She's way too pretty and nice to not have a boyfriend already.”

Amber just sighed and shook her head.

Vaggie glowered as an unpleasant energy began to skitter around in her chest. Now her brain just couldn't let this go. “Okay, what about the fact that she doesn't know about me being… you know…”

“So tell her? I'm not pickin' up that she would react badly to it. Getting the opposite, actually.”

“Amber, you are the only person who knows. I've been friends with you since we were like nine. Do you really think I'm going to just up and tell someone I only met a few months ago?”

“Vaggie, you've been on the phone or spending time with her just about every day for eight months.”

“Yeah? And? It doesn't change anything.” That unpleasant energy was beginning to transform into anger. Why this conversation was pissing her off so bad, Vaggie didn't know, but she needed her friend to let off. “Can we just not talk about this?”

Amber sighed and held up her paint-stained hands. “Sorry, sorry.”

They fell into silence for the last couple blocks of the journey. As expected, Vaggie's mother was at the door before they even reached it.

“Why are you so late?” the woman asked sharply, stepping out of the doorway as Vaggie mounted the porch.

Vaggie turned her head to Amber.

“Sorry. It's my fault. I was working on a project and Vaggie had offered to walk home with me. She waited instead of just bailing,” Amber explained from the walkway below.

The older woman made a thoughtful hum as her daughter began to shift into the house behind her. There were a few seconds of hope that Vaggie would avoid the jabs tonight.

“She got a boyfriend yet, Amber?” her mother asked after a moment of silence. There had been a touch of humor in her voice, but Vaggie knew she didn't actually mean it as a joke. Vaggie was so fucking tired of this.

“Nope, Mrs. Lee-Reyes. I’m keepin’ an eye out for one,” Amber said with a wave and a grin.

Vaggie shot her friend a venomous look from the doorway. She wished Amber wouldn't feed into her mother's bullshit.

Amber caught the look and grimaced slightly. She mouthed ‘sorry’ as Vaggie's mother turned back to the house.

“Alright, Amber, get home safe, sí?”

“I'll do my best.”

“Seeya,” Vaggie said with forced cheer as she turned and angled toward the stairs. She heard Amber's ‘ta’ from outside and then the door shut and was swiftly locked.

“You eat anything?”

Vaggie nodded from her perch halfway to the second floor. “Yeah. Got something at school.”

“Okay. There are leftovers if you're still hungry. I have got an early shift tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed. Make sure you lock up on your way out in the morning.”

“I will. Night.” A wave of disappointment flooded into Vaggie. Not only would she not see Charlie tomorrow due to their differences in schedule, she wouldn't even get to give her the usual Thursday evening call because her mom would be home before she got in from class. For whatever reason, Vaggie still wasn’t comfortable talking to Charlie with her mother around. Even as she began wracking her brain for a solution, Vaggie found herself hoping—if she couldn’t figure something out—that Charlie wasn't upset with her the next time they saw each other…

Charlie was poking idly at her school cafeteria salad, eyes scanning the j-card of the Green Day album she’d picked up a few weeks ago as the music poured through her headphones. The album was definitely interesting, she had thought, though some of the songs stood out to her more than others. ‘Longview’ had spurred some lewd thoughts about Vaggie that she had needed to curtail. ‘Welcome To Paradise’ had an excited energy that juxtaposed in a curious way against the dour lyrics. Then ‘Basket Case’ had her considering the themes of the entire album so far. Definitely punk and she could see why the band was getting popular. This was pretty great stuff.

The song playing now was simply called ‘She.’ Charlie was listening intently to the lyrics as the song played out for a second time. The words had fascinated her so much that she had immediately rewound the cassette as the track ended. Charlie’s mind had readily drawn thoughts of Vaggie into her musings. It was nothing improper this time, but Charlie couldn't fight back the somber mood that descended on her as she carefully analyzed the words. There was something poignant about them that she couldn't help but apply to Vaggie. Screaming in silence, hiding herself because she feels trapped by society's expectations… I’m taking heed just for you.

Charlie sighed and put her fork down. She would take heed just for Vaggie… maybe even only for her. Nobody else she had met in her time here had captivated her even a fraction of the amount that Vaggie had. Why? Charlie didn't know… That was a stupid question anyway…

Charlie checked her watch and pursed her lips. It was still a half hour until her next class. She would be really early, but she didn't know how else to occupy her time. Vaggie was clear across campus about to start another class at the moment and even if she wasn’t, there still wouldn’t be enough time for Charlie to meet up with her and be able to get back in time for her own lecture. It was a huge bummer, but it was what it was.

Charlie gathered her half-eaten lunch onto the tray before she stood up and stepped free of the bench. She slid the cover on her Walkman open and stopped the cassette, tugging the headphones down around her neck before she slipped the little red device into her pocket. Charlie made quick work of discarding her lunch items into the proper receptacles before she exited the building toward her next destination. It was overcast today and there was a faintly metallic scent on the air, leading Charlie to wonder if it would rain. Regardless, the weather seemed to be mirroring her mood.

Charlie kept to the sidewalk along the side of the cafeteria building before she stepped into the grass to follow a well-traveled shortcut. The sound of footsteps approaching at a reasonably fast clip caught her attention and she turned, concerned that she might be in the way of a jogger.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of Vaggie rushing toward her.

“Charlie!” Vaggie called with a wave when she saw she’d been spotted.

The blonde came to a stop, turning toward her friend as Vaggie met her in the grass. An absurdly strong urge to crush the woman in a hug washed over Charlie in that moment but she forced it back.

“I thought you had a class?” Charlie asked, unable to temper the happiness in her voice. Her body abruptly felt slightly tingly and warm, like she’d just stepped into a bright ray of sunlight.

Vaggie let out a huff to wrestle her breathing back under control. “Yeah. I do,” she said with a laugh. “I just felt really bad that we didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday because I had that stuff to do after classes.”

“You’re making it a habit to go out of your way to talk to me,” Charlie answered, an amused and slightly concerned smile on her face. “You didn’t have to skip a class. Really.”

“I know, but I felt like it. Don’t like that class, anyway. I’ll just be late.” Vaggie shook her head dismissively before the soft grin on her face shifted to a grimace “I wanted to catch up with you to let you know I probably won’t be able to give you a call tonight.”

Charlie pouted. “Aww, why?”

“My mom’s gonna be home early. I just…” Vaggie began, scowling for a moment before she turned an apologetic frown on her friend. “I try not to spend too much time on the phone when she’s home. She’s really… uh… nosey…”

Charlie nodded. “I totally get that. It’s okay. I appreciate you letting me know.” She gave Vaggie a sympathetic smirk, but she was quite curious as to the reasoning behind her friend’s reluctance to talk to her on the phone with her mother nearby. Charlie wondered if Vaggie behaved the same way with Amber.

Charlie then found her mind meandering to the topic of Vaggie’s mother. Her friend always seemed so strained when the woman was brought up. At best, Vaggie was neutral; at worst, she was downright morose… like that day during the snowstorm a few months ago.

Charlie was now curious and concerned about their relationship at home. The impression she had gotten was that Vaggie’s mom had a very strong personality. Vaggie had mentioned her being difficult to talk to and Charlie could see how that affected her daughter. Vaggie was so considerate of others’ feelings and comfort, even at the expense of her own. Like now; Vaggie going well out of her way to apologize and talk so that Charlie wouldn’t worry or be upset when she wasn’t able to call later. Vaggie very likely laid low at home, letting her mother dominate the space rather than cause confrontation. That was… not ideal.

“I know you have a class to get to,” Vaggie continued tentatively. “I could walk you there, if you want.”

The tingling warmth in Charlie renewed itself, a slight tightness in her chest joining the sensation. She couldn’t hold back the incredibly affectionate expression and soft smile that took over her face.

“I would really like that, Vaggie,” she responded, her voice low, and Charlie caught the way her friend’s eyes blinked and immediately redirected away from her face. She couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment, nervousness, discomfort… Charlie knew Vaggie was physically attracted to her, but had Vaggie picked up the same signal from Charlie? It definitely didn’t seem like it… It would be kind of ironic if Vaggie was so worried about not upsetting Charlie with a perceived unwanted advance that she was completely missing all of her friend’s very positive signals.

God, this was so frustrating and confusing. Vaggie needed intimacy and comfort and Charlie wanted to give it. Why couldn’t she see that? Charlie could feel her resolve to let Vaggie be the one to initiate a relationship already beginning to fray.

“I have a little time, so we don’t have to rush,” Charlie said, her facial expression shifting back to something more neutral. “Did you eat? We could pick something up in the cafeteria real fast.”

“I grabbed something before I left for class,” Vaggie answered with a little shake of her head. “I'm good, but thanks.”

“Alrighty,” Charlie said cheerily, “we can just go slow, then.” She jerked her head in the direction she had been traveling and Vaggie took the hint, falling in next to Charlie as she began walking.

Vaggie had a contented smile on her face as they meandered quietly. Despite the fact that Charlie found herself at a loss for a topic to discuss, the energy surrounding the pair of women was pleasant and comfortable. The feeling of being so at-ease around someone that conversation wasn't necessary to enjoy their presence was just… it was profound. Charlie had often seen her parents indulging in the same kind of silent interaction and the similarity struck her as incredibly significant. She wondered if Vaggie felt this way, too. The way she was still smiling seemed to suggest as much.

It was another few minutes before Vaggie broke the silence. “So, how are your projects going?”

“Oh! Um, they're going well,” Charlie answered, mind immediately on the photograph she had taken the previous evening. “I need to look over some film, make sure I've got the shots I need so I can cut everything together and get it developed.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“I'm actually really excited for this,” Charlie offered enthusiastically. “I’m trying out some new extended exposure techniques. Hope I don't fuck it up.”

“I don't think you have to worry about that.”

“Oh? Why's that?”

Vaggie shrugged. “I'm sure anything you work up is gonna be perfect.”

Charlie scoffed and turned a crooked smirk on her friend. “I'm not perfect.”

Charlie caught the way Vaggie's expression shifted, her mouth twitching as though she intended to say something contradictory. Instead, Vaggie hesitated and shook her head before speaking.

“Well, you are really talented. I'm sure it'll be great.”

Charlie’s smirk became a soft smile. “Thank you. You are, too, you know.”

An incredulous groan escaped Vaggie's mouth. “Eh.”

“You are amazing,” Charlie insisted, intent upon shooting down Vaggie's self-deprecating habit any time it reared its head.

Vaggie remained visibly unconvinced, but kept her thoughts unspoken.

Charlie’s smile deepened as they continued along on their easy pace in silence. Her mind drifted back to the lyrics of ‘She’ and lingered.

“Hey Vaggie?”

Vaggie grunted questioningly as she was pulled out of her own thoughts and turned her attention once more on Charlie next to her.

“I was wondering if you’d want to listen to a new album with me. I picked it up a bit ago, but only just got around to giving it a try.”

“Yeah, of course, Charlie.” Vaggie gave her friend a soft smile. “Next time I come over to study, maybe?”

Charlie chewed the inside of her lip. “I think we need a break from studying. Was kind of thinking we could just hang out and listen to it. Relax a bit before exams?”

Vaggie wasn’t quite able to mask her surprise at the suggestion, nor the flush that crossed her cheeks, though her voice came out level and nonchalant. “Yeah, sure. What’s the album?”

“Dookie,” Charlie answered with a snort of laughter.

“Oh, that Green Day one? Amber’s been trying to get me to listen to it with her. She’s got it on vinyl.”

“Really?”

Vaggie let out a huff of laughter and nodded. “She’d probably be pissed if I listened to it with you after blowing her off.”

Charlie grinned. “Probably.”

The pair approached the entrance to a large brick building and slowed to a stop. Charlie turned to offer Vaggie a smile.

“Do you want me to set something up with Amber?” Vaggie inquired before she pursed her lips thoughtfully and looked up at Charlie.

“Yeah, that’d be perfect,” the blonde answered, her voice light. A little spark of excitement flickered to life in her chest.

Vaggie nodded and the introspective expression on her face melted into a smile that sent the spark in Charlie’s chest radiating out into the rest of her body.

“I’ll catch up with her later today and ask. I’m sure she’d be happy to host,” Vaggie announced. “I’ll let you know when I’ve got an answer.”

Even though she had hoped to spend the time alone with Vaggie, Charlie still couldn’t keep her soft smile from turning into a wide grin. “I look forward to it!”

Chapter Text

1994, Late May

“So what did you want to show me?” Vaggie asked as she perched herself backwards on Charlie’s desk chair.

“Well, I wanted to run something by you. Uh… get your permission before I submit this final project for my photography class,” Charlie said with a touch of nervousness to her voice.

Vaggie was a taken aback, curious what Charlie would need her permission for. “Okay, uh, sure, hit me.”

Charlie took a breath and pulled a sleek black portfolio from the space between her desk and nightstand. She laid it flat on her bed and carefully split it open. Vaggie craned her neck to try and see what her friend was fumbling with, but only managed to catch a glimpse of a few large black and white photos. After a moment, Charlie straightened and turned, holding one of the photographs out for Vaggie to take.

“I um… I wanted to see if you were cool with me using this in my final project,” she said sheepishly.

Vaggie blinked, taking the photo with care. She found herself swallowing down surprise, a strange pressure coalescing in her chest. It was a photo of her.

Vaggie looked down at herself, standing alone on a sidewalk, clutching her elbows with her eyes turned toward the night sky. There was a contemplative, wistful expression on her face, the glow of the streetlight above her casting a soft halo around her body. High in the sky above her was the slightly blurred shape of the waxing moon, surrounded by innumerable streaks that could only have been stars as they moved across the sky. Vaggie’s eyes shifted to the background, noting that there was a soft haziness to the trees and ghostly forms of people and cars drifting by. It was like Vaggie had been captured in a moment of frozen time while the world continued to move around her.

Vaggie turned her eyes back on Charlie, who was watching her with carefully contained anticipation. The energy took on a more powerful edge. “Charlie this is… really, really cool. When… how did you take this?”

Charlie’s face melted into a smile as she sucked in a deep breath. “I um… I caught you looking up at the moon a few days ago.”

“This was when I was waiting for Amber.” Vaggie’s eyes went wide with realization. “I heard a click. That was your camera?”

“Yeah, sorry I didn't say hi. I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Or bug you,” Charlie added with a timid nod.

“Pfff,” Vaggie responded with a dismissive laugh, “You could never bug me, Charlie.”

A soft expression crossed Charlie's face momentarily before she blinked and her cheerful grin returned. “I, uh, had all my gear set up already. Just kind’ve waiting for something to happen and then you showed up, so I snapped the photo. The blurry stuff is just an extended exposure thing. I put the two images together. I promise I wasn't stalking you or anything. I hope it’s not too creepy of me.”

Vaggie looked back down at the photograph in her hands, her thumb running tenderly down the edge. “Not creepy,” she murmured before looking back to Charlie. Vaggie couldn’t quite place the emotion she felt coursing through her, but there was a definite sense of warmth. She handed the photo back to Charlie with a smile. “Sure, you can use this. I’m honored you’d want my lame ass in your project.”

“I don’t think you’re lame,” Charlie countered, taking the photo carefully. She looked at it for a moment and then cast her eyes back up to Vaggie before she turned to settle the paper neatly among the others in the portfolio. She cleared her throat. “But thanks! I had another photo ready to go, but I couldn’t help but take advantage of the opportunity for such a good shot.”

Vaggie nodded and got to her feet, sidling up next to Charlie so that she could glance down at the portfolio. “Can I see the others?”

Charlie’s expression was one of pleasant surprise. “Oh, sure,” she said as she began to spread the images out over her comforter. She took a step back and wrung her hands nervously as she watched Vaggie looking them over.

The photos Charlie had laid out featured roughly the same theme; people photographed in black and white, each captured in some sort of poignant personal moment while the world around them continued on unhindered in blurred motion. One photo showed a small child smelling a dandelion while streaks that were other playing children whirled around them in the background. Another captured the moment two people had embraced on a sidewalk along a busy street, a joyful expression just visible on one of their faces while cars zoomed by in the background. Another showed an old man, his face lined and somber as he sat alone on a park bench, a cane propped under both hands between his legs while the tree branches hanging behind him swayed in the breeze. There was a woman grieving at a gravestone, funeral-goers fading out around her. A young person sitting in grass with their elderly dog. A toddler just learning to walk, hand-in-hand with each of their parents. A group of boisterous young men gathered in some sort of celebration around one of their number. A young woman sitting alone and content with a coffee and a book at a café table on a busy sidewalk.

Charlie had captured such a vivid range of emotion throughout the collection. Vaggie could feel that sensation of energy in her chest strengthen.

“Charlie these are amazing,” Vaggie commented softly. “Like, seriously.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. I don't know shit about photography but you definitely put a lot of thought into this.”

Charlie sucked in a breath, her expression appreciative. “I hope I get a good grade on it.”

“I'll cuss out your instructor if you don't,” Vaggie said with a touch of heat in her voice.

Charlie beamed and then neatly collected the photographs back into the portfolio, tucking it away. She turned back to Vaggie, lightly biting her bottom lip as her eyes shimmered with appreciation.

The warmth in Vaggie’s chest was joined by sparks as Charlie looked at her and she found herself trying to stomp it back down. Her heart once again made its presence known.

“That's a relief. I really was worried it would weird you out.”

“No, it doesn't. At all,” Vaggie answered.

“Whew,” Charlie said with a sigh and a clap of her hands. “I just need to pick up some frames and then this project is done.”

“Do you have any others to finish, still?” Vaggie inquired as she shifted back to the chair and resumed her perch.

“Uh, I've got some photos to develop for a commercial photography class, which I was planning on doing a night this week. I have a feeling the dark room is gonna be packed,” Charlie chuckled as her eyes shifted thoughtfully around the dorm. “Oh, and a paper for the marketing class. Other than that, it's just the finals next week.”

“That's good. I've got this magazine cover mock-up I need to work on this weekend,” Vaggie said with a sigh as she crossed her arms over the back of the chair and rested her chin on them.

“Exciting,” Charlie said with a smirk as she sat on her bed.

Vaggie snorted with a smile as she found her eyes drifting around her friend’s room. It was so much different than it had looked at the beginning of the year. There were posters on the walls, nickknacks were neatly arranged on various flat surfaces around the room. A shag rug in the shape of an apple spread over the floor while a purpose-built shelf containing a not-insignificant number of cassettes rested next to her friend’s tape deck. Charlie had definitely added more stars to the ceiling. There was a mountain of carefully-arranged stuffed animals taking over a major portion of Charlie’s colorful bed. Vaggie's attention drifted up and she noticed her page of doodles tacked at a comfortable viewing height on the wall. The energy in her chest pulsed into her limbs.

“So,” Charlie interjected into the silence, “You want to get a study session in tonight for that Art History final? I'm gonna be away over the weekend, so that nixes any study time then.”

Vaggie lifted her head and nodded, jarred out of her mental wandering. “Probably should, since I'm here anyway.”

Charlie perked up, looking genuinely delighted by that answer.

She knew her friend was a dedicated student, but even Vaggie doubted Charlie was that excited just for a chance to study. The energy swirled. She was still a stranger to having someone other than Amber who wanted to spend time with her.

Vaggie could get used to it.

“You’re in a chipper mood,” Lucifer chortled as Charlie released him from the embrace she had wrapped him in upon her exit from the portal back to Hell.

“You certainly are,” Lilith agreed with a soft smile. The Queen raised an eyebrow. “I can't imagine it's because you get to see your parents.”

Charlie let out a soft huff and smirked at her mom, though the tiniest edge of concern flickered to life in the back of her mind. “Of course I'm happy to see you.”

“We’re really glad to have you back for the weekend, sweetie,” her father quipped. “Hope you're ready for pancakes!”

Charlie groaned and slumped forward. “Oh god, am I ever. They just don't make them like you do on earth.”

“You could make them yourself,” her mother offered.

A thoughtful frown crossed Charlie’s face as she considered the suggestion. “Probably.” It was actually a great idea. She could pick up a hot plate… Vaggie would probably like them…

Lilith smirked softly and gestured to the comfortable couches set to the side of her father's large den. “Sit, sit. I would very much like to hear all about what you've been up to. You've not been calling as often.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Charlie shrugged and offered her mother a very mild grimace as she rounded the coffee table, settling herself easily on the far couch while her parents perched themselves opposite of her on the other. “Just busy with… school. Finals are coming up. Lots of studying and projects to wrap up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Makes sense,” Lucifer agreed before slapping his hands on his thighs. “How’s the studying going?”

“Great, actually! My study-buddy from last semester was in one of my classes again.”

“That's wonderful, sweetheart,” Lilith offered earnestly. “I admit, I am quite curious about the projects you've been working on. What sorts of things are you doing?”

Charlie thought for a moment, a scowl pinching her features for a beat before her face lit up with excitement. “Oh! Well, I've got a presentation I'll be giving in the one gen-ed course. I was thinking I might sing something.”

“That's fantastic, Char! I'm sure you'll blow them with it.”

Charlie had to bite back a sudden laugh. “Dad, I think you mean blow them away.”

“Ah? Right, right,” her father agreed, though he seemed confused.

“Blowing someone is…uuh… totally different.”

“Is it?”

Charlie snorted and nodded. “Very much.”

Lilith leaned across to her husband and whispered something discreetly into his ear. His eyes went wide before his face flushed and Charlie couldn't hold back a bark of laughter. Her mother resumed her upright posture and cleared her throat before she neatly redirected the conversation. “Any other fun assignments?”

“Yes! The photography final!” Charlie bubbled with enthusiasm as she held her hands out. A swirl of fire filled the space before her. When the flames died away Charlie’s photography portfolio rested safely within her grip. She opened it up on the table before her and spread the photographs out quickly.

“I wanted to capture life,” Charlie explained with a touch of anxiousness as her father bent forward to look over what his daughter had presented.

Lucifer’s voice was soft as he carefully peered from one large photograph to the next, “Oh, Charlie, these are amazing.” The expression of awe that had overtaken his face shifted into a delighted and very toothy smile as his eyes fell on the toddler and their parents.

“I remember when you were this tiny,” Lucifer cooed, eyes crinkling as he lifted the photograph to examine it more closely. “You’re little hoofsies were so cute.”

Charlie frowned awkwardly and neatly slipped the image out of her father’s hands. “Aha… yeah. Been a long time since then.” She tucked it hurriedly under the pile of photographs.

“But you’re still my widdle baby,” Lucifer pressed, his lips puckering. There was a very proud sparkle in his eyes that spurred heat to life in Charlie's cheeks.

“Dad…”

“What! It’s true.” The King appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the embarrassment he was causing Charlie.

“Anyway!” Charlie interjected abruptly while she pushed the remaining photos forward on the table.

Lucifer giggled to himself and continued carefully taking in his daughter’s work. He paused at another, and Charlie noticed her mother lean forward with interest.

“A friend of yours?” Lilith inquired.

Charlie swallowed. “Um, yeah,” she answered, trying her best to sound casual and unconcerned. There had been a spark of intensity in her mother’s demeanor that had set the Princess even more on edge. She should have left that one out…

“What’s her name?” Charlie’s father asked, completely unaware of the shift in his wife’s attention.

“Ah… Vaggie. She’s really… nice.”

“Just nice?” Lucifer raised his eyebrows and smiled thoughtfully.

“Oh sweetheart, she can’t just be nice,” Lilith insisted.

The temptation to seize this opportunity to gush to literally anyone about this girl that had captivated her so much was difficult to resist, but Charlie managed it. The Princess gladly would have—if Vaggie had been a denizen of Hell. Not being able to voice the thoughts and concerns she was carrying was frustrating, and had only grown moreso recently.

Charlie's get-together with Vaggie and Amber to listen to Dookie had done nothing to coax Vaggie to open up about herself. It had been a fun time, all around, but trying to spur conversation about ‘She’ had accomplished quite the opposite of what Charlie had intended. Vaggie had locked-up and not even Amber's deft sense of humor had helped. It was upsetting.

Charlie was solidly of the belief that—regardless of the fact that her mother was quite likely full of wisdom that could help Charlie in this situation—she could not let on just how much she’d grown to care for Vaggie. Charlie might be forced to return to Hell immediately and that would be… horrible.

“Do tell us about her, love,” Lilith encouraged as Charlie hesitated.

Charlie caught no malice in her mother’s words, but the feeling like Lilith was deliberately backing her daughter into a corner was overwhelming. The Princess cleared her throat softly. “She’s funny, smart. She can draw and stuff… likes music. Super helpful. She’s a good friend.”

“She sounds sweet,” Lucifer said as he handed the photograph back to his daughter.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed, glad of a reason to shift her attention away from her mother.

“I’m really impressed,” Charlie’s father added proudly as he stretched dramatically in his seat on the couch. “You’re learning a lot.”

Charlie tucked the photograph back into the portfolio and deliberately kept her eyes off of her mother as she busied herself with gathering her photos. “I think so.” She sent her work away in another flash of fire.

Charlie’s father stood, hands on his hips momentarily while he cast a thoughtful look at his daughter and wife. “Pancake time!” Lucifer shouted abruptly as a burst of glittering red magic exploded around his body. It was gone as abruptly as it had come, leaving the Fallen angel garbed in a chef’s hat topped with a comically-large rubber duck and an apron with the words ‘Let There Be Pancakes!’ emblazoned on the front. He held his hands up, a skillet in one and a spatula in the other, while pancake ingredients floated in a loose arc above his head.

Charlie couldn’t hold back her snort of laughter. Earth was amazing, but she did miss her dad’s magical antics. A lot.

The King was humming happily to himself as he skittered out of the room. Charlie got to her feet and moved to follow, but was forced to slow her pace as a hand fell softly upon her shoulder.

“I would love to know more about your friend, Vaggie, sweetheart,” Lilith said as they walked together. There was nothing accusatory in her mother's tone, but Charlie felt her chest tighten with anxiety. “You don’t have many here at home, so I am quite glad to hear you getting along with people at school.”

“Oh yeah. I’m um… actually pretty popular on Earth.”

Lilith raised her eyebrows and let out a little huff of laughter as she withdrew her hand from Charlie’s shoulder. “This does not surprise me in the least. You have a very magnetic personality.”

Charlie pursed her lips. “But, like you said, it hasn’t helped me much down here,” she muttered.

“That is fair. Earth must be quite the nice change of pace.”

Of course it was. Not having to tiptoe around her birthright alone was fantastic. Charlie considered her response for a moment, hoping she might be able to waylay any inquiries about Vaggie. “It’s amazing seeing the potential humans have,” the Princess offered, knowing that her mother was unlikely to take the bait.

“Certainly,” Lilith agreed. “What sort of potential do you see in your friend?”

Charlie had to stifle a grimace and was begrudgingly impressed by her mother’s deft verbal parry. “I… um… I think she’s incredibly creative. She could do anything she set her mind to if she opened herself up more.”

The Queen was thoughtfully silent for a moment before she spoke. “She lacks confidence?”

There was another brief pause as Charlie fished for words. She could feel her mood darkening as her mind thumbed over Vaggie’s home life. “Her… circumstances are very… restrictive.”

“That is unfortunate.”

“But I think she’ll figure it out,” Charlie continued, “she just needs a little help.”

“Charlie,” Lilith said, and the shift to a more serious tone was barely perceptible, but it was there. “I hope you’re not helping too much.”

An unpleasant pit began to form in Charlie’s stomach as she shook her head. “No, I know. We just study together and talk,” the Princess insisted, but she could just about feel the suspicion radiating off of her mother. Her words weren’t a lie, thankfully… Lilith remained quiet and Charlie found herself compelled to try and fill the silence. “And listen to music together, sometimes.”

“Music is an incredibly powerful thing. It is very good at connecting people,” Lilith said pleasantly.

The Princess swallowed. That all but confirmed Charlie’s fear that her mother was already suspicious of her relationship with Vaggie. “We’re just friends, mom.”

“I never suggested otherwise. Just don’t forget that your life is here, dear heart.”

The pit grew larger and Charlie had to fight to keep a smile on her face. “Yeah, it is.”

“Oh, speaking of life here,” Lilith said abruptly as she and Charlie followed Lucifer into a large kitchen. Any hint of disapproval or suspicion was entirely gone. “I wanted to remind you of the Gala in August. You will have completed your studies for the year by then and will be home for the duration of the break, I believe. This should not be an issue, correct?”

Charlie was taken aback for a moment and then her stomach dropped out entirely. She hadn’t even considered what she would be doing over summer break. Of course her parents would want her to come home, and something in the way Lilith had spoken told the Princess that any attempts to change their minds—or at least her mother’s—would be fruitless.

“I, uh, yeah. Should be fine,” Charlie answered carefully and with forced cheer. Figuring out a way to convince Vaggie to initiate a relationship had suddenly become much more a priority.

“We’ll discuss this more after breakfast,” Lilith said with a motherly smile. “We would like your input on a few matters this year.”

“Sure, looking forward to it,” Charlie lied.

Chapter Text

1994, Late-May

It was the very end of May and Vaggie found herself looking with hopeful longing toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Her big projects were completed and all but one of them had already been turned in. Her only remaining worries were a few finals this week and then she could count herself free from school and be able to enjoy summer.

Vaggie had just slogged her way through the Art History final, and with all of the studying and note-sharing she had continued to do with Charlie after the first semester had ended, Vaggie was actually quite confident she had earned a commendable grade.

She felt weirdly light as she made her way out of the building, excited to find Charlie, who had finished up her test much more quickly. Vaggie smiled to herself when she caught sight of the woman under a huge maple tree, dancing in place with her headphones on and her bright red Walkman swinging along in her hand.

“Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free, this is where I long to be, La isla bonita!” Charlie sang as Vaggie quietly approached.

The woman was obviously lost in her own little world and the nearer Vaggie got without Charlie noticing, the wider the dark-haired woman’s smile became.

“And when the samba played, the sun would set so high, ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby!” Charlie continued with perfect notes before finally catching sight of Vaggie.

“Tu canción de cuna en español, ¿eh?” Vaggie said with a bit of laughter in her voice as Charlie’s face lit up.

The blonde hastily pulled her headphones off and tapped ‘stop' on the device she was holding.

“Conozco algunas,” Vaggie added.

“You can speak Spanish?” Charlie asked excitedly.

“Sí, en realidad es mi primer idioma. Soy de el salvador, ¿recuerdas?” Vaggie added with amusement.

Charlie squinted in thought. “Gimme a second. Something about a first language… and, oh yeah, you did say you’re from El Salvador, huh,” the blonde said with a laugh.

Vaggie’s eyebrows arched. “I didn’t know you could speak Spanish.”

Charlie shook her head, “Not really. I can kind of understand it. I know some phrases a little bit here and there, just stuff I’ve picked up, but my pronunciation is awful. I should really work on that.”

“I can help, if you’re serious,” Vaggie said as Charlie opened up her bag to put the Walkman and headphones away.

“Of course I’m serious!” Charlie exclaimed with feigned indignity that elicited a chuckle from Vaggie. Charlie straightened her back and sucked in a huge breath before releasing it with a dramatic stretch of her arms. “So! How do you think you did on the test?”

“Pretty good, I think,” Vaggie answered as the pair migrated out of the grass and onto the sidewalk.

Charlie bumped her hip playfully against Vaggie’s side. “Pretty good? With how hard we studied, I’d hope it’s better than ‘pretty good,’” she teased.

Vaggie felt light heat in her cheeks as she tossed a glance over at Charlie, once again chagrined at how effortless it was for the blonde to make her feel flustered. “Okay, fine, I think I just about aced it. Only waffled on like one or two things.”

Charlie flashed a toothy grin over at Vaggie, her eyes bright. “Good girl! That’s what I like to hear.”

Vaggie was hit with a jolt in her stomach at the praise and hastily redirected her attention to anything but Charlie. She felt like she was suddenly on fire.

The pair walked on in silence for a brief stretch, pausing as they reached a crosswalk. The road was uncharacteristically busy with cars and bicyclists, likely other college students going about their final week of classes, so they had to wait a bit longer than usual. Vaggie was still at a loss for words and was beginning to feel awkward when Charlie started to hum ‘La Isla Bonita’ again. A soft smile crossed Vaggie’s face. She was quite happy to listen to another demonstration of the blonde’s musical prowess.

“Listening to Madonna, again, huh?” Vaggie said after a few verses worth of time had passed.

“Yeah, I still really like this one that you suggested,” Charlie answered cheerily as she stepped out onto the crosswalk.

“I can tell,” Vaggie said with a smile. “You know she has a newer album out, right? I think it’s called…” Vaggie hesitated for a moment, “Erotica?”

“Oh?” Charlie replied, eyebrows rising while a coy smile quirked her lips. “I’ll have to hunt it down.”

“We could make a stop into the record store after I’m done today?” Vaggie suggested as her face flushed, trying to get past that awkward interaction. “I just need to hand in my final project for my evening class. Should be able to get out there well before they close.”

“That sounds great!” Charlie said with genuine enthusiasm.

Vaggie’s mouth curled into a small grin. Yeah, it did sound great.

“I actually have been meaning to ask you something,” Charlie said, her face still alight and eager.

“Sure,” Vaggie replied, curious.

“Well, I was wondering if you’d want to watch a movie or something together?” Charlie asked as they walked, trying to put on an air of nonchalance, though Vaggie was sure there was a hint of nervousness to her query.

It must have been contagious, as Vaggie felt another little jolt in her stomach. “That’d be fun, yeah. We could go see Jurassic Park; they’re still running it, apparently. I’ve been hearing it’s really good.”

“Well, I mean, we could,” Charlie said through a thoughtful smile, “Or we could just rent something and watch it in my dorm. Cheaper,” she added, trailing off.

Vaggie felt a wave of jittery energy wash over her. She had been in Charlie's dorm before, of course, but never just to hang out… watch a movie together… They'd probably have to share the bed, because Charlie didn't have a couch. But that didn't have to be weird. Why was Vaggie making it weird? Friends hang out together, that's what they do.

“Before I have to head home for summer?” Charlie added after Vaggie didn't answer, her voice almost pleading.

“Yeah! Of course,” Vaggie blurted, pulling out of her thoughts and feeling suddenly distressed. How could she forget that most of the students that lived in dorms always went back home over the summer? The realization that Charlie would be gone for months hit Vaggie like a sack full of art history textbooks.

“Really?” Charlie’s voice was hopeful and giddy.

“Definitely,” Vaggie said with a nod, trying to temper her nerves and force out a fresh smile. “It’ll be fun.”

“You want to hit up Blockbuster with me after the record store? So I don’t accidentally pick something totally lame?” Charlie queried again with that same hopeful lilt to her voice.

Vaggie could not help but laugh and nodded, momentarily stricken by the joy now radiating off of Charlie.

The trip to the record store didn’t take as much time as Vaggie would have thought. Charlie seemed quite content to pick up her copy of ‘Erotica’ and leave it at that—much to the proprietor’s disappointment, Vaggie noted. They trotted back out onto the sidewalk and Charlie had no problem taking the lead. She tore the plastic sleeve off of her new album and popped the case open to peer at the cassette.

“Excited to listen to it?” Vaggie inquired with amusement.

“Very, but more excited to figure out what we’re gonna watch,” Charlie responded with a grin as she snapped the case shut again and slipped it into her bag. “Any thoughts?”

“Absolutely none, sorry,’ Vaggie said with an exaggerated frown and a shrug.

“Ah, we’ll just have to wait to see what they’ve got, I suppose.” Charlie sucked in a deep breath and Vaggie could feel the barely-contained excitement her friend was trying to mask. It seemed a little more potent than her usual level of energy.

The large, blue-roofed building came into view and Charlie’s energy rose another notch. Her steps were more animated, almost dancing, and Vaggie was getting the impression the blonde was having to very seriously focus on containing herself. It was amusing, but also had Vaggie a little more keyed-up than usual. She’d been managing to keep her attraction to Charlie under control for the last few months, but something in the way her friend was acting now had begun to erode Vaggie’s hold on herself. The woman was putting off an aura that was extremely difficult to ignore.

As they approached the entrance, Charlie was quicker to reach for the pull handle and heaved it open, allowing Vaggie to enter the vestibule first. As Vaggie chirped a little ‘thank you’ she seized the opportunity to reach the inner door ahead of Charlie. Vaggie shoved her arm against the handle and moved through, spinning and leaving her hand in place to keep it propped open while she gestured for Charlie to enter first. “After you,” she said with a polite dip of her head.

Charlie smirked and stepped through the threshold. She turned back to Vaggie with a soft smile on her face. “Why, thank you,” she replied, offering Vaggie the tiniest curtsy.

Vaggie huffed with laughter as she let the door swing shut and then moved past Charlie to glance around. The shoulder-height white shelves were stuffed with VHS cassettes, the new releases on much higher shelves ringing the outer walls across the store. Charlie rushed over to the first collection of movies she could see, labeled ‘Drama,’ and looked at them excitedly as she crouched down. She stood out, her red shirt extremely loud on the backdrop of blue carpet and yellow walls.

“What about something here?” Charlie inquired, plucking a case up to peer at it.

“Hmm, I dunno. Maybe. What are you in the mood for?” Vaggie queried as she sidled up next to her friend. Charlie gave her a slightly-lingering look as Vaggie shifted her backpack more comfortably on her shoulder.

Charlie placed the VHS case back in its place and stood again, one arm crossed over her stomach, her other elbow resting on it while she stroked her chin with her fingertips. “Hmm, that’s a good question,” she murmured as she began to wander. She skimmed past a small shelf in the ‘Comedy’ section, shaking her head lightly. Charlie crossed to the other side of the store, peering at the back side of the video game section to see what ‘Family’ had to offer. She looped back around then, glancing at the ‘New Releases’ and then ‘Action.’ After another few minutes of browsing, she angled back to Vaggie, who had lingered among the ‘Comedy’ shelves as she left Charlie to her own devices.

Vaggie moved along slowly, pausing to pick up a copy of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ though she couldn’t quite figure out what had compelled her to do it.

Charlie joined her in that moment, looking over Vaggie’s shoulder. “Oh, a romance?”

Vaggie felt her face flush. “No, I was just looking. I wasn’t suggesting…”

“It’s totally fine. I like romance!” Charlie chirped as she stepped up next to Vaggie to look at another copy of the movie the dark-haired woman had picked up. She shot a sideways glance to Vaggie, who was hastily putting her case back on the shelf. “You don’t?”

“No, I do, I liked Housesitter a lot,” Vaggie said, tossing out the first romance movie she could think of. It just happened to be one her mom had liked and watched recently. “I, uh, I just have to be in the right mood.”

The blonde straightened her back and cocked her head a little, eyes hooded as she regarded her friend. “And what mood is that?” she asked, and something in her voice made Vaggie’s chest tighten sharply.

Vaggie shrugged animatedly. “Ah, I dunno.”

Charlie was looking at her thoughtfully, a hand resting gently on another movie she had been in the process of reaching for. “Are you in it now?” She had used that tone again…

“What?” Vaggie blurted, feeling incredibly flustered, “Eh… no?”

Charlie grinned and moved past her, swinging around the back of another shelf. She paused, eyebrows raised as she peered at the offerings. “What about horror?” She suggested, tossing a glance over her shoulder at Vaggie as she joined her.

Vaggie grimaced. “I, uh, I’m not a fan,”

“Aw,” Charlie pouted, “I really like them.”

“Really?” Vaggie was genuinely surprised by this. Charlie didn’t strike her as the type to be into that kind of thing. “The gore doesn’t bother you?”

“Nope. And not all horror is gory,” Charlie replied as she lifted a copy of ‘Hellbound’ to read the summary. She quirked an eyebrow. “That’s mostly splatter and slashers. Sometimes it’s just jump scares, suspense, sometimes it’s more psychological.” She returned the case to the shelf.

“Ah, well. I watched The Thing at Amber’s a while ago and it freaked me the fuck out.” Vaggie shuddered.

Charlie returned the case and gave Vaggie a curious look. “The Thing is fantastic. A true classic. It’s supposed to freak you out.”

Vaggie felt a little bit embarrassed that she might have insulted Charlie and tried to walk it back. “I mean, it was really good, just… not my thing.”

“Your thing?” Charlie repeated, eyes crinkling with glee as she looked down at Vaggie, who snorted. After a moment the blonde broke down into genuine, belly-deep laughter that filled Vaggie’s entire body with something akin to euphoria.

Abruptly, Vaggie found herself frozen, seized by some inescapable sensation that left her feeling almost feverish. She couldn’t look away from the joyful woman in front of her as her heartbeat began to pound in her chest. Goosebumps rose over her entire body.

Vaggie was now keenly aware of so many little details that she had been overlooking as they had spent time together today. The faint scent of cinnamon. The way Charlie’s shirt had slipped just that little bit down her shoulder. The delicate golden heart locket resting on the pale skin of her collarbones. The rich flush of her cheeks, impossibly-long eyelashes… Her eyes, which seemed almost to glow from within, staring straight into Vaggie’s soul.

Vaggie swallowed, electric tingles working their way to the tips of her fingers while what felt like fireworks fizzled and sparked in her navel. Somewhere in the back of her mind claxons were sounding. A four-letter word seized her by the throat. She stopped breathing.

The expression on Charlie’s face shifted, her eyes squinting almost imperceptibly while a thoughtful and amused smile dimpled her cheeks. She pulled her hand away from the shelf. “Vaggie? You okay? Something on my face?”

Vaggie blinked and inhaled, jolted out of her frantic thoughts. “I… no, no. My, um… stomach just started hurting,” the woman stuttered, grimacing and bending forward a little bit to try and sell the story.

Charlie frowned. “Oh, that’s no good. Something you ate?”

“Probably. I’m just gonna use the bathroom real fast,” Vaggie said nervously as she dropped her backpack, slid around Charlie, and rushed to the back of the store. She shut herself into the tiny public restroom, flicked on the light, and promptly locked the door, sucking in a huge breath before she took the last few steps to the sink.

Propping her arms and locking her elbows, Vaggie looked into the mirror, her eyes darting around her face as she took in her frazzled appearance. “Shit,” she whispered to herself as she hung her head, trying to fight down the jittery energy that was coiling in her guts. Nobody had ever made Vaggie feel this way before. She’d had crushes, sure, but this… Vaggie swallowed, fisting her shirt at her chest and twisting it as she realized that she was terrified. She couldn’t act on this. There was no way Charlie was gay, no way she’d want to date Vaggie when she could likely pull anyone she wanted on campus. Maybe she did already have a boyfriend back home. She probably had a boyfriend back home. A boyfriend she had never, ever mentioned…

The warmth in Vaggie’s stomach turned to ice as thoughts of her mother seeped to the forefront of her mind. She definitely couldn’t act on this for fear of her mom finding out. Vaggie had already lost her father and she didn’t know what she would do if she lost her mother, too.

Vaggie’s lie about a sour stomach abruptly became a reality and she grimaced, turning on the sink. Desperate, Vaggie wetted her hands and patted them over her face, trying to force away the dark flush she could see on her cheeks.

She inhaled, counted to ten, and then exhaled to try and calm her frantic thoughts. Vaggie had hidden her queerness this long, she could keep doing it. She could try and spend less time with Charlie, maybe. Vaggie stewed on that thought for a long moment, trying to wrestle away the dread that it had spurred up. She didn’t want to spend less time with her and she knew if she tried she’d end up miserable. Amber would notice. Charlie, definitely. They’d want to know why… it would end up a mess, though she at least had summer break to figure that out. But right now? No. She had to just shove these stupid feelings back down and try to ignore them. Business as usual, just with more consideration for how she acted. That was doable. …Hopefully.

A gentle knock on the door made her start. “You okay in there?” Charlie asked from the other side, her voice colored with genuine concern.

“Oh, uh, y-yeah, I’m fine,” Vaggie tried to say with nonchalance as she rolled out a stream of brown paper towels to dry her hands and pat her face. She tossed the wad and missed the trash can entirely, but rushed to the door and pulled it open, sucking in a breath as she was met by Charlie just about a foot away. The blonde was looking down at her, hand held tentatively in the air and brows creased in worry.

“You look flushed,” Charlie commented as she backed away from the door to give Vaggie space to exit the restroom. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Vaggie moved back into an aisle, running her palms down her thighs as she turned back to her friend. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she managed to say calmly. “Stomach’s just a little gurgley, I think.”

“Maybe you’re just hungry? It is dinnertime,” Charlie suggested, taking a step toward her friend with Vaggie’s backpack hanging from one hand. “You wanna go get something to eat?”

Vaggie balked inwardly and tried to smother another wave of fireworks in her guts. Absolutely not. “I… I promised my mom I’d help with dinner tonight. Sorry,” she lied, feeling awful about it even as the words left her lips.

Charlie made a tiny pout for just a moment. “Aww, alright. Another time then, maybe.”

“Yeah,” Vaggie agreed. She pointedly looked at her watch. “Crap, I gotta head home.”

The pout returned to Charlie’s face. “Really? We haven’t picked something out yet,” she said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

Vaggie’s guilt grew tenfold. She tried to ignore it as she nodded and started toward her backpack. Charlie anticipated the movement and began to lift the bag, grabbing the back straps with both hands to hoist it higher. She passed it to Vaggie, but as the exchange happened their hands brushed. Charlie’s skin on Vaggie’s sent a shiver down her spine. Vaggie flung the backpack over her shoulder hastily and looked up at Charlie, who was watching her thoughtfully.

“Thanks,” Vaggie managed to say, sounding close enough to normal. “I’ll, uh… I’ll see you tomorrow… for the movie. Five-thirty, right?”

Charlie’s face lit up slightly and she nodded. “Yep,” she answered with a soft smile.

Vaggie smiled back and took a tentative step up the aisle. “Sounds great. Pick a good one,” she replied as she turned toward the front of the store. Vaggie had to fight back the incredible urge to sprint out of the building.

Charlie stared after Vaggie as she hurried out of the store. “That was weird,” she muttered quietly to herself. Vaggie had looked genuinely ill, but Charlie found herself fretting anxiously over whether that had actually been the cause of Vaggie’s abrupt departure. Maybe Charlie had laid it on too thick with the flirting? It was extremely frustrating that Vaggie hadn’t picked up on it, but rushing it wouldn’t help. Maybe she had noticed, but was ignoring it deliberately. Months of pining was beginning to wear on Charlie and this little interaction had rattled her.

Charlie sighed quietly to herself as she ambled along aimlessly, still at a total loss as to what she should choose. Her eyes skimmed over the sign for ‘Sci-Fi/Fantasy’ and then dropped to the movies on the shelf. It was a pretty small section, so Charlie wasn’t holding out hope, but something toward the bottom caught her eye and she knelt to get a closer look. The cover was dark, a sunset on the lower left throwing the silhouette of a mounted horse into view. Matthew Broderick took up the space next to that, smirking with his hands tucked under his arms while a hawk perched on his head, striped wings flared. The face of an attractive, blue-eyed woman wrapped in a hood stared outward above him, taking up the majority of the cover. “Ladyhawke, huh?” Charlie murmured to herself as she flipped the case over to read the back.

She skimmed the summary with interest, her eyebrows rising at the mention of ‘lovers’ and a ‘demonic curse.’ The corners of her mouth drew down into a slight frown at the phrase ‘always together, eternally apart.’ “Huh,” she hummed as she placed the empty sample case down and pulled the single, full rental case from behind it, curiosity getting the best of her. Charlie stood and wound her way to the front of the store, grabbing a bag of Skittles which joined the movie on the counter. She pulled a folded wad of money and her membership card from her pocket as the clerk rang her up, then stuffed the change unceremoniously into her pants as she made her way back outside.

Charlie stood for a moment to inhale a lungful of cool evening air, then started her trek back to her dorm as anticipation and anxiety began to rise within her. Tomorrow could be a very interesting day.