Chapter Text
Roughly 24 hours Before
“Charlie?”
Charlie sat with her back to Vaggi for now. She’d retired early from the “all our memories are gonna be wiped tomorrow” party downstairs, and she’s not surprised that Vaggi noticed so soon. She’d barely had time to have the conversations she needed, rush up here, and erect a rudimentary blanket fort. She doesn’t know what happened to her fairy lights, and most of the blankets are different now, but it… It reminds her of back then. Of simpler times, relatively speaking. Now, even Vox declaring a war seems like small potatoes. At least they could stop that.
She heard Vaggi crawl into the tent and felt her familiar arms wrap around her waist.
“Hey. Baby. Why didn’t you tell me you’d had enough.”
“I -” sniffle. “I needed a little time to make this.”
“Ah.” Vaggi laid her head on Charlie’s back. “It reminds me of that one time.”
“I know, me too.”
“We wrecked that thing so fast.”
A wet chuckle rose in Charlie’s throat.
“You believed we could make it through anything back then,” Charlie said.
“I do still,” Vaggi said. “This curse… It’s horrible. But I believe we’ll find each other. I believe we’ll fall in love again. And who knows? Maybe we’ll break it. Isn’t that how all the fairy tales end, with a kiss of true love breaking the dastardly curse?”
Charlie giggled, feeling Vaggi pepper a flutter of kisses to her sensitive neck.
“You’ve been reading my books again.”
“Maybe.”
“You are such a sap,” Charlie said, finally turning around and laying a proper kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.
“Mm.” Vaggi threaded her fingers into Charlie’s hair and held on gently, for now.
Charlie usually kissed her hungrily. She could never, ever get enough of kissing Vaggi, of tasting her cinnamon and rum chapstick, of feeling her fall apart around her tongue. But now, she took her time, ironically, knowing they had so little left of it. Savoring her. Like she could burn the feeling of kissing Vaggi so deep into her psyche that even the curse couldn’t take it away.
She did part them eventually. There was something she needed to do before the end, and they needed at least a few hours to do it.
“Vaggi, I… have something for you.”
“Hm?”
“I… This is so far from how I wanted to do this.”
Charlie took both of Vaggi’s hands, guiding her outside the tent to stand. She’d raised an eyebrow curiously.
“Seeing as we only have twenty-four hours, though…” Charlie reached back inside the tent and under a blanket, drawing out a little box and falling to her knee in front of Vaggi. Vaggi’s curious look turned into one of surprise, her eye flying open wide and tears beading like stars on her dark lashes.
“Vaggi, will you spend them as my wife, and my queen?”
Charlie opened the box. Inside nestled a delicate silver ring, carved in the shape of six wings lovingly cradling a diamond.
“Charlie…” Vaggi was crying. Tears rolled down her face from her remaining eye, leaving tracks of black down her cheek.
She’d never been more beautiful.
“You don’t hav -” Charlie started to stammer before Vaggi hurled herself at her, kissing her fiercely.
“Don’t you dare. Of course I will.”
Charlie gave a choked laugh and kissed her back, almost dropping the ring box in the process.
“Give me your hand, then.”
Vaggi drew back enough to allow Charlie to take one of her hands and slip the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
“I talked to my dad and Emily before I came up here,” Charlie said quietly. “Emily offered to marry us.”
“Wow… She’d give up that time, for us?”
“She seemed pretty excited, actually. I don’t know how Sera feels, if she knows at all. My dad wanted to at first but then I reminded him he’d always wanted to walk me down the aisle and give me away too, so…”
“When?” Vaggi caressed Charlie’s face, the silver glinting out of the corner of her eye.
“Soon.” Charlie grinned a little wolfishly. “I figured we’d want as much time as possible to consummate.”
“You figured correctly,” Vaggi said, pecking her on her little black nose.
“I know it’s not the beautiful royal wedding you deserve, but…Are you ready to be Mrs. Morningstar?” Charlie asked her, sitting back in the tent. Vaggi plopped herself primly on her lap.
“I’ve been ready for years, mi vida,” Vaggi purred. “I don’t need a fancy wedding. Just you.”
----
“Hey, shut up, everyone!”
The elevator door opened, and the small group of people in front of them parted. Lucifer, Husk, Angel Dust, Niffty, Baxter, Cherri, even Alastor looked more somber than usual.
Emily pushed her way through them. “Charlie, you ready? Did you ask her?”
Vaggi held up her ringed hand to soft oohs.
“Perfect!” Emily squealed. “Weddings are traditionally held in chapels, but uh, we’re in Hell, so I think this lobby will do.”
“Do you officiate weddings often?” Angel asked.
“Nah, that’s usually Sera, doing weddings for souls that never got to in life or want to reaffirm their vows in Heaven or something. I’ve been to all of them, though, and I remember the words. Mostly.” Emily grabbed one of Charlie’s and one of Vaggi’s hands. “But first you two have gotta get ready! Just because it’s a little wedding doesn’t mean we can’t make it beautiful.”
“I don’t think I can do a full dress justice,” Lucifer said, rubbing the top of his staff. “But I can definitely jazz up what you already have. Or change colors, or whatever you want.”
“Oh, oh! One more thing!”
Emily summoned some of her bubble magic to her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, forming a portal above their heads “Pentioussss!”
With a crash, something fell through the portal. Vaggi felt Charlie squeeze her hand so tightly she cut off circulation as the snake-like soul righted himself.
“Charlieeee!”
“PENTIOUS!”
Charlie hurled herself at Pentious, hugging the angel tightly. Vaggi stood by, a huge grin splitting her face despite herself.
“Aw, Emily. How - “
“I snuck him a day pass.” Emily said, clapping her hands. “I couldn’t let him miss this! And besides, it's not like I can get in trouble with Sera much longer.”
“Pentious!”
Cherri shoved her way past the crowd, even pushing Charlie out of the way to hug Pentious. “Hey! Long time no see, fucker!”
“Itsss so good to ssee you!”
“Now we’re all here,” Charlie said, coming back to Vaggi’s side to squeeze her hand. Vaggi smiled and pecked her cheek, lying her head on her shoulder.
“Move aside.”
Vaggi’s head shot up. Pushing her way through the crowd was someone else she hadn’t expected to see that day.
“Carmilla! You - I thought you’d stay at home with - “
“I did too,” Carmilla said smoothly. “But… As long as my daughters and I are together, I think we can spare the time to help our soon-to-be queen.”
Vaggi chuckled.
“As can I,” Rosie came up beside her, looping her arm through Charlie’s. “Tradition says you shan’t see your bride before she’s ready, after all.”
“And we’ll get things all prettied up down here, right, whiskers?” Angel gave the bartender an affectionate slug on the shoulder. Vaggi could swear she heard Husk purr briefly.
“Of course. I’ll get the good liquor.”
---
The hardest part was, it turned out, picking out outfits independently when they shared a wardrobe. Carmilla wound up moving Vaggi’s makeup and hair stuff to the adjacent room, then took Vaggi into their wardrobe first while Rosie kept Charlie separate. It made Vaggi ache to be separated from Charlie, even for only an hour, when they had so few left to them. But Carmilla insisted that the feeling of seeing Charlie as her bride for the first time would be worth it.
“Any thoughts?” Carmilla prompted gently, thumbing through Vaggi’s clothes.
“Huh.” Honestly, Vaggi was getting a little overwhelmed. “You know, I never really thought about it. Marriage doesn’t seem to be a huge thing here in Hell.”
“It isn’t, but I meant what you want to wear.” Carmilla tutted. Her daughters started to pull dresses - the vast majority of which were Vaggi’s - from the hangers for her to look at. Most of them were more like sun dresses or cocktail dresses, bought for dates to restaurants or the theatre, not for a wedding.
“Hey, I remember that one.” Vaggi grabbed one dress Odette pulled down. It was the gray gown she’d worn to Vox’s soiree, so long ago.
Carmilla chuckled ruefully. “So do I. Not my proudest moment.”
“Wasn’t any of ours, really,” Vaggi said. She ran her hands over the fine gray fabric. “It’s probably the fanciest dress I have, though. Maybe Lucifer can make it white.”
Carmilla looked it over ponderingly. “All due respect, little dove, what did you do to it? It is missing half its collar.”
Vaggi shrugged. “I thought it looked cool, and Charlie agreed.”
“No accounting for taste, I suppose.” Carmilla nodded to Odette, who scurried out of the room, presumably to find Lucifer. “Make sure she doesn’t see!”
Carmilla led them out of the wardrobe and rapped on the door of the room where Rosie waited with Charlie. Vaggi went into the room where her makeup waited.
“First order of business is a shower, then we can get started on your hair.”
Vaggi showered quickly, but she took care still, grabbing the strawberry shampoo she knew was Charlie’s favorite of hers. It felt strange to shower alone for the first time in years. Even in their busiest times, they always made time in the morning for each other. The shower now felt far too big.
She got dressed after in nothing but her underclothes and padded out to where Carmilla and her daughters waited.
On a chair off to the side, she saw that Odette had brought back her dress, but where it was gray before, now it had been transformed. It was silky white now, with bright gold accents and a subtle sparkle whenever Vaggi turned it.
“It’s… beautiful,” Vaggi breathed.
“I brought you this to go with it,” Carmilla added, laying a delicate veil over top of the dress for now. “A proper bride’s veil.”
Vaggi’s chest was tight. “I.. thank you, Carmilla.”
“Don’t mention it,” Carmilla said. “Now come here. Let’s deal with that hair.”
---
“Do I have to do all this separate from her?” Charlie whined, pacing back and forth like a puppy waiting for her mistress.
“You don’t have to, you are the queen,” Rosie pointed out gently from where she sat primly, her hands in her lap, waiting for the all-clear from Carmilla. “But let me tell you, it’ll make seeing your bride for the first time just… magical, darling.”
Charlie couldn’t imagine seeing Vaggi to be any more magical than it already was, but she trusted Rosie.
“I always really hoped my mom would come back for my wedding,” Charlie said quietly. “That’s part of the reason I waited so long to propose. I…” She let out a long breath. “Hells that was so stupid. We could’ve had years as wives…”
“Don’t dwell on the could haves. I’m sure your bride does not hold it against you. Besides, would it have changed much?”
Charlie thought about it. She stopped in her pacing, leaning against the wall.
“No, I guess not.”
“Well, then, why did you propose?” Rosie prompted.
“I…” Charlie trailed off, her chest tight. “I don’t know… I mean, in a few hours, she won’t even remember we were married. But I… I just… I wanted to promise myself to her. If there’s any chance we remember on the other side… I want her to remember how much I love her.”
Rosie got up to lay her hand on Charlie’s shoulder.
“Then I think you had perfect timing, darling.”
There was a curt rap on the door.
“That’s our cue, come along.”
Rosie led Charlie back into her own room.
“Now, darling, what did you have in mind?”
“Well, uh, I was picturing a tux…”
Rosie turned to her, raising one unimpressed eyebrow.
“Like you always wear?”
“Yeah… but like… regal,” Charlie said weakly.
“Hm.” Rosie thumbed through Charlie’s wardrobe. “Well, you do look very handsome in those tuxedos. I think we just need something to make it stand out. Give it some pizzazz! Something for her to remember, like you said.”
Charlie went deeper into her wardrobe, picking her most fancy tuxedo off its hanger. Unlike her everyday suits, this one had a subtle shimmer to it.
But pizzazz… She ran her hands over the clothes, wishing she had Vaggi here. She was the fashionable one. Hell, she’d picked out this coronation tux. Charlie would’ve gotten crowned in her usual without her.
Her fingers stopped on a particular undershirt.
“Pizzazz, you say?” She held it up. It was white, like usual, but encrusted with dozens of finely cut and arranged gems, a rarity in Hell. It came with a similarly bedazzled necktie.
“Ah, marvelous! Yes, yes, that will do perfectly.” Rosie clapped her hands. “Now go shower darling, and once you’re fresh, it’s time for the fun part.”
“Fun part?”
“Makeup, dearie!”
“Aw.” Charlie’s mind had immediately raced ahead to a very different fun part.
Rosie chuckled. “Scram, darling. I’ll get ready out here.”
---
“Are you scared?”
Vaggi felt Carmilla tense, and pause in her brushing of Vaggi’s hair. For a moment, she was afraid that Carmilla would turn and storm off, that she’d ruined everything.
“...Yes, I am. I think I can admit to that much.” Carmilla returned to brushing Vaggi’s hair, with stern but not rough strokes. “Though not so much for myself. I’ve earned this sentencing. But for my daughters. Sera promises we will be together, but how much control does she actually have?”
Vaggi sighed. “That’s what worries me too.”
Carmilla was silent for a long time.
“Do you remember the lesson I taught you the first time we met?”
“Yes. How could I forget?”
Something was tucked behind Vaggi’s ear. Carmilla held a mirror up to show her.
Vaggi drew in a short breath. Carmilla had done her makeup impeccably well, with a light gold eyeshadow that stood out against her gray skin. Her hair was mostly left long and loose, other than the crown braid that adorned the top of her head. And behind her ear sat a single, vividly red rose, popping against her white hair like blood.
“I would have moved all the mountains in hell for my husband. And now I would for my daughters.” She gently placed her hand on Vaggi’s chest. “But now, Vaggi, your generation is at the heart of this conflict. I believe you’ll move mountains for your love.”
Vaggi covered Carmilla’s hand with her own. “Count on it.”
“Oh, I am.”
---
“Knock knoooocck! Are you decent?”
Charlie snorted.
“I’m in my undies!”
“Close enough!” Emily burst into the room, stopping to squeal over the tuxedo lying on the chair.
“Oooooh! That’s the one you wore to your coronation isn’t it? I LOVE it! You’re gonna be the most handsome bride ever.”
“I thought I was the one taking care of our queen,” Rosie huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
“Well, suuure, but I didn’t want Charlie to wind up in ringlets against her will, so.” Emily pouted at Rosie before both women burst into laughter.
“Did you check in on Vaggi too?”
“Not yet. Carmilla scares me.” Emily giggled nervously. “But I will! Once I help you with your makeup. C’mere.”
“You have a point, Charlie would look darling in ringlets…” Rosie mused.
“No!” Charlie and Emily said in unison.
“How are things looking downstairs?” Charlie asked, sitting still while Emily started on her makeup and behind her, Rosie put her hair into loose curlers.
“Great! Lucifer conjured up a really gorgeous cake. We tried to get food from places around town, but a lot of them are closed cause of, y’know, so he conjured that too.”
“Oh, great.”
“Why, is his conjuring bad?”
“Depends on the dish. The cake will be good. Don’t touch the caviar.”
“Gotcha.”
“You’re not actually giving me ringlets back there, are you Rosie?” Charlie asked, not daring to move her head to look.
“Of course not. Just some pretty waves.” Rosie sprayed something over her hair. “Hmm. Some flowers would look gorgeous.” Charlie felt the buzz of magic and caught a sweet rose scent. “There we are. What do you think, Emily?”
Emily glanced up from her intense concentration on Charlie’s lip liner. “Oooh, perfect!”
“Maybe a little gold dust to really bring out your eyes.” Rosie tutted, and used a little more magic. “Speaking of, do you have wedding rings ready?”
“Dad’s in charge of those. I gave him my design, and he’s going to ask for Vaggi’s engraving on mine.”
“Hopefully he can’t mess up wedding bands,” Rosie said tartly. Charlie rolled her eyes.
“That’s your former king, you know.”
“Titles mean little to me, darling. You earned my respect.”
“There!” Emily held up a mirror. She’d done as Rosie asked and dusted gold on Charlie’s eyelids; other than that, she’d carefully done her lashes, lips, and cheeks to subtly bring out her features. Charlie rarely bothered with makeup, so the effect was noticeable and she had to admit, she looked good. For her part, Rosie had styled her long blonde hair into the loose waves she’d promised, dotting the sea of gold with little roses that sparkled ethereally.
“Thank you Emily,” she said softly. “Thank you, Rosie.”
“Any time!” Emily chirped. Rosie laid a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.
“Now, shall we go see how our chapel’s coming along?”
---
“Chaaaarlie!”
Charlie’s dad’s voice greeted her as she descended the stairs with Rosie and Emily, wide-eyed. He was dressed in his sharpest white tailcoat, waiting expectantly at the bottom of the stairs.
“Dad… wow. This is… a lot.”
In just the short hour Charlie had been upstairs with Rosie and Emily, the lobby had been transformed. Where the front desk once stood, there was now a raised stage, with a podium for Emily to stand at, and a long deep crimson carpet leading up to it already lined with flowers. Chairs had been set up for the guests, while by Husk’s bar, refreshments were being prepared. Mostly alcohol. Fair enough. She could already see Cherri, Angel, and Pentious in their best formal wear, sitting at the bar like old times, drinking and laughing while Husk mixed drinks and joined in their banter.
“Anything for my baby girl’s big day. Oh, I’ve waited so long!” Lucifer grabbed her hands and dragged her downstairs.
“I just… wish Mom could be here,” Charlie sighed when they finally came to a stop.
“Yeah…” Lucifer agreed, scooping a stray ducky off of one of the chairs. “But I put Niffty on picture-taking duty.”
“...What.”
“Turns out she’s a lot better behind the camera!”
Charlie craned her neck to see the little maid running around taking pictures of everything. At least, everything on her level. Lilith was going to be getting a lot of pictures of knees.
“Miss! Sir!”
Someone plucked at Charlie’s elbow. It was one of Carmilla’s daughters - Clara, Charlie thought?
“Are you ready, miss? Carmilla is waiting for your signal.”
“Oh, I - “ Charlie glanced at her father, then up at the podium, where Emily seemed to be frantically re-reading a leaflet, and Rosie was standing below, laughing.
“Fuck.” The leaflet reminded Charlie that she hadn’t even given too much thought to her vows yet. “Dad… how much time do we have?”
Lucifer checked his watch. “About twenty-two hours.”
“Okay.” Charlie had half a mind to ask Clara for an hour or so to craft the most perfect vows ever, but -
Then she pictured Vaggi. Did she really want to sacrifice any time at all that could be spent with her? Especially when she suspected her wife-to-be would tell her any vows were perfect if they came from her heart.
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Okay. Good.” Clara turned to the milling group. It was a little bigger than when she left; Charlie spotted Susan and Zestial, even, standing next to the punch bowl. Still not a big crowd, not nearly as many as would turn out for a proper royal wedding, but it warmed her heart nonetheless.
“Hey! Everyone! The wedding will be starting shortly! Please take your seats. Bridesmaids and groomsmen, please follow us out to the porch.”
“Did you make the rings?” Charlie hissed to her father.
“Of course, just like you asked. Razzle’s got them.” Lucifer took her by the arm and guided her out the door to wait with Clara on the porch of the hotel, for Odette’s signal. He threw the ducky at Angel on the way out, who hopped off of his barstool and tugged Cherri with him. Carmilla also followed, arching an eyebrow at Angel’s antics.
“Did you tell Mom I’m getting married?”
“Yeah. Well, I tried.” Lucifer sighed. “I wonder if she’ll be swept up in… all this.”
He gestured up at Heaven, which pulsed in the sky with a new, ominous power. “Maybe… if she is… Maybe she’ll stay with us this time.”
Charlie bit her lip.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
Clara’s phone dinged, making Charlie jump. She’d forgotten the younger Carmine was there.
“They’re in place.” She looked up.
“Well?” Lucifer looped his arm through Charlie’s, clasped her hand, and looked up at her with a soft smile. “Ready to see your bride?”
Charlie straightened. “Absolutely.”
---
Vaggi stood at the podium, fidgeting. She never fidgeted, but now she was filled with such a peculiar nervousness she found herself picking at everything - her dress, her veil, her bow, her corsage.
What if she backs out? Charlie would never. What if Lucifer decides to object to their union? He wouldn’t, and Charlie wouldn’t listen anyway. What if Lute breaks out of prison and crashes the wedding? Okay, that might happen, given their luck.
“You look gorgeous,” Emily whispered. The seraphim was also fidgeting, but that was pretty normal for her. “Charlie’s so lucky.”
“Thank you, Emily.” Vaggi gave her a small smile, before the Hazbin Hotel’s doors creaked open.
First to come out was Carmilla and Alastor, who looked a bit bored at the proceedings and grumpy at being pulled out of his scheming. After them came Cherri and Sir Pentious, who looked like he might faint from actually touching her. Then, the maid of honor, Angel, dressed in his frilliest formalwear, with his arm looped through the best man, Husk’s, wearing a rare genuine smile.
Behind them, Niffty hopped around scattering flower petals everywhere while Razzle slowly flew over head, the rings carefully balanced on the red pillow he carried.
“Ooh!” Emily clapped her hand and put a bubble of magic in her own throat. “All rise for the bride, please!”
Vaggi straightened in anticipation, biting her lip as the Hazbin Hotel’s door opened once more and her bride entered.
Vaggi immediately recognized the tux she’d chosen as the same one she’d worn to her coronation, but the gem-encrusted undershirt looked newer. It brought a sparkle that still couldn’t quite match the way Charlie’s eyes went wide and almost glowed, never wavering from Vaggi’s as she walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with her father.
“You look so good!” Charlie mouthed frantically. Vaggi smiled back as Charlie mounted the steps and stood facing her.
“You, too.”
Lucifer patted his daughter’s arm, before drawing back to stand next to Alastor and glare.
“We’re gathered here today in the best hotel EVER,” Emily started, to a few giggles, “to celebrate love! Specifically, the great love between our beautiful queen, Charlotte Morningstar, and her hotel manager, Vaggi.”
Love how she makes it sound like we had a workplace romance. Which, she supposed, they kind of did, but they’d started before the hotel! Come on.
“It’s my honor to come down and witness this. Charlie, Vaggi… You’ve taught Heaven so much. You showed us sinners can be redeemed. You showed us the power of unity, even in Hell. And more than anything… You showed us that love can be found where we never thought it could.”
Emily clasped their hands.
“Charlie, Vaggi, whenever I come down here, I always see so much love between you. I truly believe that whatever is to come with the dawn, that love will outlast even our memories. Are you ready to take your vows?”
Both of them nodded. Emily let go of their hands, letting them take each other’s instead. Charlie took a few calming breaths.
“Want me to go first?” Vaggi asked quietly.
“No, I - I can do this for you,” Charlie said, squeezing her hand before raising her voice.
“You always say that I saved you. But I’m here to tell you, and everyone, that you’ve saved me, over and over, more times than I can count. This Hotel… I wouldn’t be here without you, Vaggi. Your faith in me never wavered, even when I really…really didn’t deserve it.”
Charlie laughed wetly, tears beading in her beautiful eyes. Vaggi reached up reflexively to wipe them away.
“I can never thank you enough. I can never repay you. I can only… try. Every day. And I just… I pray that on the other side, I’ll do the same.”
Tears rolled down her face freely now, though her makeup was taking it remarkably well. Vaggi desperately wanted to kiss those tears away, to soothe her worries, to tell her that she didn’t need to worry about repaying her - but it was her turn.
“Charlie…” Her voice, mortifyingly enough, squeaked out. Her own throat had gone so tight without her even really realizing, so focused was she on Charlie. It took a full few seconds for Vaggi to pull her vocal chords back under her own control.
“Charlie,” She tried again. “You…”
Fuck. Vaggi’s voice failed again. Charlie sniffled and pulled Vaggi into a hug.
“This is so embarrassing,” Vaggi murmured into Charlie’s chest. She never fucking cried. But something - fuck.
“It’s okay,” Charlie said, stroking her hair.
Vaggi took a moment to breathe her in before lifting her head. Emily passed her a tissue, and she mopped her face quickly.
“Charlie, ever since that day in the alley…You saw a dirty, dying angel in the trash can, and you saw me. You brought me home. You brought me here. I think I fell for you then and there. I couldn’t imagine anyone more beautiful.”
Charlie smiled through her tears, stroking Vaggi’s cheek with her thumb.
“You’re beautiful in how you never stop trying. You see the good in everyone, even… even in me. And I swear, Charlie, no matter what happens in the morning, if there’s any part of me on the other side that’s still me, I will continue to be your armor. I’ll never stop fighting for you, baby.”
Charlie brushed a tear away from her cheek and smiled. It took every bit of Vaggi’s willpower not to jump and kiss her right then and there. The crowd might as well not exist; Vaggi’s whole world was holding her cheek.
Emily clapped her hands.
“Beautiful… just beautiful. Are you ready to make it official?”
Charlie and Vaggi nodded in unison. Neither of them took their eyes off each other.
“Charlotte Morningstar, queen of Hell, do you take this woman, Vaggi, to be your wife, together in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until the last star goes out and time itself stops, till death do you part?”
Vaggi had never seen Charlie’s face brighter. “I do.”
“And do you, Vaggi, take this woman, Charlotte Morningstar, to be your wife, together in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until the last star goes out and time itself stops, till death do you part?”
Vaggi squeezed Charlie’s hands.
“I do.”
Emily nodded before stepping back.
“All quiet for the pact.”
“Did, uh, Carmilla tell you about this part?” Charlie whispered to Vaggi as she leaned in to lift the veil from in front of Vaggi’s face.
“Yeah.” Vaggi’s hold tightened on Charlie’s hand, a little out of nerves, but mostly to reassure her.
“You don’t have to. I won’t think any less of your commitment.”
“I know. I want to.”
They leaned apart. Charlie turned to Emily, who shuddered slightly as she pulled out a shiny, angelic steel dagger and handed it to Charlie. It was simple in make, curved like a scythe and, Vaggi could tell, very sharp.
The room went dead quiet. Charlie turned the knife around in her hand, offering it to Vaggi first.
“With this knife, I put my life in your hands,” Charlie said, her eyes never wavering.
Vaggi swallowed hard and took it, raising it slowly to Charlie’s throat. There was nothing but trust and love in Charlie’s big red eyes.
She lifted her other hand to clasp her beloved’s cheek, before lowering the blade and passing it to Charlie.
“And with this blade, I put my life in yours,” Vaggi said softly.
Charlie lifted the knife to Vaggi’s throat, the cold metal blade just kissing her skin.
She didn’t even flinch.
A smile broke across Charlie’s lips as she lowered the knife. She covered Vaggi’s hand on her cheek with her own before passing the knife back to Vaggi.
Remembering Carmilla’s instructions, Vaggi took the knife. Charlie opened their hands, and Vaggi carefully poked her finger until a bead of golden angelic blood rolled out. She flipped the knife and offered it to Charlie.
Charlie went to do the same, but her hand was trembling so badly the knife slipped, and the crowd gasped as the knife opened a gash in her finger, blood gushing instead of beading.
“Ah, fuck!”
Vaggi quickly went to stifle the blood with the tissue Emily gave her, but Charlie pushed it away.
“No, the pact!”
“Your finger -
“Can wait.”
Charlie and Vaggi pressed their hands together, bloody fingers touching, royal blood mingling with angelic.
“And with this blood, we seal our pact. Whatever comes next, our souls are one.”
There was a burst of golden magic, whiting out Vaggi’s vision for a moment and filling her ears with snow. When she came to, Charlie was blinking, clearly affected by the same. Their hands were still clasped, red blood rolling out from between their fingers.
“Vaggi, I - “ There was pain apparent in Charlie’s voice and eyes, her skin unable to just reknit itself due to the angelic steel.
“Hey.” Vaggi quickly seized the chance to wrap Charlie’s finger with the tissue.
“Sorry… I fucked it up…” Charlie sounded despondent.
“Are you all right?” Emily asked worriedly. Charlie nodded firmly, sniffing away tears.
“The pact has been made!” Emily spread her arms wide. “There’s just one more thing, before you can go and… get a band-aid.”
Charlie smiled weakly.
“Razzle?” Emily reached up and took the pillow from the little goat, holding it out to them. Charlie peered at them for a moment, before picking up one of them with her good hand and gently taking Vaggi’s with her wrapped one.
“Vaggi, with this ring, I - “ sniffle. “I thee wed. Remember me with it.”
She slid the ring on her finger next to the winged ring. It was much simpler, just a band, but it was made out of half silver and half gold, with something engraved on it in what looked like Latin.
Vaggi slow-blinked at her for a moment before reaching for the other ring. This one she knew the engraving for - “El resto es fácil, cariño.”
“Charlie, with this ring, I thee wed.” She slipped the ring onto Charlie’s finger. “Remember me.”
“And with that, it is my pleasure to declare you… wife and wife!” Emily’s voice became a squeal. “You may kiss the bride.”
They needed no more urging. As the room broke into applause, and amidst loud wolf-whistling from Angel and Cherri, Vaggi surged forward to take Charlie’s lips. Charlie responded in kind, putting her hands under Vaggi’s ass and lifting her up to kiss more easily. Vaggi felt their mingled tears flowing freely and knew even Carmilla’s heaviest-duty waterproof makeup was probably running like a bitch but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Not when Charlie was shoving her tongue in her mouth in front of thirty witnesses and it was simultaneously the hottest thing ever and making her want to cry again.
When they parted to breathe, it was like only they two existed.
“We did it,” Charlie breathed, like they’d just won another fate-deciding battle instead of get married.
Vaggi chuckled wetly. “We did.”
“Well,Mrs. Morningstar,” Charlie grinned. “Want to get something to eat?”
Vaggi raised an eyebrow, casting a meaningful glance downwards. Charlie flushed.
“Soon, but we should probably at least… yknow.” She fluttered her fingers. “Mingle a little bit first.”
Vaggi huffed.
“For like, fifteen minutes.”
“I guess I can survive that.”
---
“Hey, motherfuckers! Shut up a second!”
Charlie looked up from her slice of frankly mindblowingly delicious German chocolate wedding cake, to see that Husk had stood up and clinked one of his cards on the side of his wineglass.
“I, uh, was informed about two minutes ago that it’s customary for the best man to make a speech. So.” Husk cleared his throat. “I guess that’s me.”
“Speech! Speech!” Angel crowed before Husk shoved his tail in his mouth.
“I’ll be honest and, most people here know this already, but I didn’t come to the Hazbin Hotel by choice. I came as the bartender. I wasn’t lookin’ for redemption. I… certainly didn’t come expectin to learn nothin’.”
Husk’s ears flicked around. His eyes fell to his drink, swishing the wine around for a moment before looking up at Charlie.
“But, Charlie, you got a way of bringin’ out the unexpected. And Vaggi, somehow, you managed to keep up with it. You two, you… You work good together.”
Husk gave a rare grin as he raised his glass to them.
“You brought this Hotel together. And, to be honest, I wouldn’t want no one else leadin’ us. Even into… Whatever bullshit’s next. I got faith in you two. To the lovely brides!”
“To the brides!” The room echoed, raising their glasses.
Charlie sniffled, the waterworks already starting. Vaggi passed her a tissue.
“That was… beautiful, Husk.”
“Eh, don’t mention it.” Husk yanked his tail out of Angel’s mouth. “Least I could do. Though I hope you all don’t mind if we, uh. Dipped soon.”
“Not at all,” Vaggi said, while Charlie shook her head with her mouth full of cake. When Charlie looked back at her bride, Vaggi gave her that wolfish grin she knew and loved so well.
“We probably will soon too.”
---
They barely made it up to their room.
It was like in the earliest days, the earliest trysts, with Charlie pushing Vaggi up against the elevator wall on the way up, with them fumbling their way to their room with neither of them willing to stop kissing long enough to actually walk normally. She couldn’t help it. It’d been torment during the ceremony, to see how absolutely luminously beautiful Vaggi was in her dress, to smell her favorite strawberry shampoo on her hair, along with the roses, and have to keep her hands off of her. And now -
Well, now, the ceremony was over, and she was hard at work sucking delicate purple bruises into Vaggi’s skin, leaving her lipstick smeared all over her bride.
Mine. My bride. My wife. No matter what some shitty curse says.
“Careful with that rose, it’s Carmilla’s,” Vaggi gasped as Charlie’s hand twined in her hair.
Charlie carefully plucked the rose from Vaggi’s hair and set it aside before looking past her. The blanket fort she’d constructed still stood, patiently awaiting them.
“Your palace awaits, my queen,” Charlie purred, making Vaggi giggle adorably.
“Want to take my dress off out here or in there?”
Charlie pretended to think, tapping her chin, before putting her finger right at where Vaggi’s cleavage started in the middle of her chest.
“Right here, right now.”
Vaggi grinned, her hands immediately going behind her to unclasp the dress. Charlie beat her to it, making short work of the clasp and undoing the bow she was using as a belt, letting the dress pool around her feet.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Charlie breathed. Vaggi grabbed her by the collar and tugged them backwards, into the waiting tent of blankets and pillows where they collapsed, Charlie on top, face directly in Vaggi’s boobs.
“Mmmm,” Charlie purred. Vaggi rolled her eye affectionately.
“At least take my bra off first.”
“Okay!” Charlie eagerly unclasped her bra too, chucking it aside before snuggling back into Vaggi’s boobs. Vaggi petted her hair fondly, flicking roses aside as she did.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?” Charlie had turned her head and before Vaggi could speak again, she swept her tongue over one of Vaggi’s pert lavender nipples.
“Ngh -” Vaggi groaned. “I know you’re comfortable and all but - you are entirely too clothed.”
“My clothes are so much harder,” Charlie whined, but she sat back on her knees and quickly undid her jacket, chucking it somewhere in the room. She was a little more careful with the gem shirt, but got stuck on her tie, which did not seem to want to come free.
“Hm… You can keep the tie, cariño,” Vaggi said, sitting up and stopping Charlie’s attempts to untie herself.
“Huh ? - “ Charlie started to say, but then Vaggi took the end and tugged her down with it, and she understood.
“Good little puppy,” Vaggi purred. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes… So good,” Charlie moaned. She couldn’t help it. She looked up the length of her leash to Vaggi, bathed in gold and pink light and looking absolutely divine.
Vaggi leaned in and deftly unclasped Charlie’s bra, freeing her breasts at last with a satisfied hum. She laid back on a pile of pillows and tugged lightly on the tie.
“Come here,” She called softly.
Charlie crawled up her body, her own body thrumming with arousal. She felt her tail grow, wrapping around Vaggi’s leg possessively.
Vaggi purred, reaching to tug her closer by her horn for a deep, searing, hungry kiss. She grabbed Charlie’s tit, kneading it with her hand and making Charlie moan into her mouth.
“Fuuuuck, Vaggi.”
She felt Vaggi’s leg slip between hers and ground against it right away, keening for any kind of relief. She half expected Vaggi to snatch her leg away, to draw this out, but Vaggi watched her instead, her eyes lidded and pupils blown wide.
“Damn…”
Something about the way Vaggi growled the word tipped her over the edge already, waves of ill-gotten pleasure making her digging her nails into the sheets below them as she came all over Vaggi’s leg.
“That’s hot…” Vaggi breathed. She wound the tie around her hand a few times, so Charlie felt it tug on her neck just slightly.
“Do you like this? Being on a leash, humping my leg, like a dog?”
Charlie could do little but pant, but she did nod.
“Look at you… the queen of hell, on my leash.” Vaggi purred, leaning forward and pushing Charlie’s chin up. Charlie met her gaze, her limbs still jelly from her orgasm, and licked her lips.
Vaggi chuckled throatily and planted a surprisingly chaste kiss on her lips.
“So beautiful,” She breathed. “So good for me.”
Charlie nuzzled her chest, running her tongue over her pert nipples, stretch marks, and every scar there. She wanted to sear them into her memory so deeply the curse couldn’t steal them.
“Wanna taste you,” Charlie said softly. “Wanna remember you.”
Vaggi’s face softened. “Of course, mi vida.”
She opened her legs wide and let Charlie slide down her body to where her delicate lace panties still sat. Charlie growled and took them in her teeth, tempted to rip them clean off but a tug on the tie made her settle for dragging them down her legs out of the way. She planted a kiss on each of Vaggi’s feet before sliding back up to the little white snatch of hair hiding her arousal. She could smell it already, and it made her mouth water.
I’ll miss this, she thought, giving Vaggi’s cunt the first of many licks and hearing the delicious heavy sigh she gave in response.
Even if I can’t remember, I’ll miss this, she thought as she plunged her forked tongue into her cunt, tasting salt and sweet and something divine.
How could I forget? She thought as Vaggi’s beautiful, thick thighs closed around her head muffling all sound but the ones that fell from her lips and reverberated through her body. She couldn’t breathe, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was working her tongue inside of her wife until she saw stars.
Vaggi came with a gasped “Charlie!” around her tongue. She drank in all of it, closing her eyes to remember.
She didn’t even realize how lightheaded she was until Vaggi finally opened her legs and she slumped bonelessly onto her side.
“Baby?” Vaggi’s voice was still thick with arousal like honey, but Charlie felt her cool hand patting her cheek. “Baby. Talk to me.”
Charlie flipped her a thumbs up and probably a very stupid grin. Vaggi sighed and pulled her up her body to lie on her stomach on top of her.
“You okay, mi vida?”
“Perfect,” Charlie breathed, still recovering from the high like she’d been the one to come. “You?”
Charlie whined. Her tail had crept between her thighs without even really thinking and was rubbing at her clit, the scales a delicious friction against the aching heat.
“Baby…” Vaggi’s voice was stern. “What are you doing?”
“Need…” Charlie whimpered.
She felt Vaggi’s hand slip down her back, reverently tracing her hip lines, and wrap her hand around the base of her tail.
“Oh fuck,” Charlie moaned, arching her spine as the simple touch of her tail sent spikes of arousal down her spine.
“I believe your pleasure is mine to give,” Vaggi almost growled in Charlie’s ear.
Charlie could do little but moan. Vaggi gave the base of her tail a few more pumps before flipping them over with a practiced motion and a surge of muscle.
Charlie found herself underneath Vaggi, gazing up at her with hooded eyes. She looked angelic, in a good way, the soft pink light illuminating her face beautifully while her wings spread wide behind her.
“My bride,” Vaggi purred. “My queen.”
“My queen,” Charlie said softly in return.
Vaggi ran her hand down the middle of Charlie’s chest, teasing the little bar through one of Charlie’s nipples to make her whimper. Her other hand, meanwhile, slipped between Charlie’s legs and pushed her tail aside.
“Fuck!”
The first thrust of two of Vaggi’s fingers into her cunt almost made Charlie come again then and there, she was so wound up.
“You’re so wet, baby.” Vaggie leaned in, pressing the whole length of herself along Charlie’s body as she started sucking hickies into her pale skin. Charlie held onto her wings for dear life and whimpered at every bite, every thrust of her fingers, every expert swipe of Vaggi’s thumb over her clit. Vaggi played her body like an instrument.
“Hells, fuck, Vaggi, right there -” Charlie gasped and dug her fingers into the feathers at the bases of Vaggi’s wings as Vaggi hit that particularly sensitive spot inside her. She felt Vaggi’s evil little smile against her neck before Vaggi withdrew her fingers.
“Noooo, Vaggiiiii -”
“What’s the magic word?”
“Please, my queen.”
Vaggi thrust three fingers back inside of Charlie, making her back arch.
“I’m close -
“Come for me, baby. Come.”
Vaggi redoubled her efforts inside her and on her clit, and one sure stroke of her g-spot sent Charlie careening over the edge, grounded only by the feeling of her wings in her hands as pleasure seized her body and made her see stars.
Charlie slowly floated back to herself, first aware of Vaggi’s hands carding through her hair.
“...Wow,” Charlie breathed.
Vaggi chuckled.
“Better than your tail, huh?”
“Are you jealous of my tail?”
“Shut up.”
---
20 hours Before.
Vaggi sat against a mound of pillows in the collapsed blanket fort, Charlie snoring her soft little puppy snores in her lap. It was quiet, relatively, the noises of hell still existing but far, far below. It was just them, there in the darkness and the quiet.
And Vaggi was content.
She ran her fingers along Charlie’s cheek, her jawline, down to the tie she still wore dangling between her generous breasts. She hadn’t even had the wherewithal to take it off before nodding off to sleep in Vaggi’s lap. Vaggi let out a little breath and shook her head affectionately before gently untying the necktie and tossing it aside.
Wife. She’s my wife.
If she went back in time to her Exorcist self and told her she’d be facing down a curse married to the Queen of Hell, the same queen that had saved her from dying alone in a dirty alleyway, she probably would laugh in her face. Or stab her future self.
And yet, here she was.
She wondered, if she traveled forward in time, to whatever version of herself would exist on the other side, would she believe her?
Her hand twined with Charlie’s and tightened, pressing her lips to the top of her love’s head.
“NO!” she remembered Charlie shouting. “You can’t take her. Not without me. Where she goes, I go.”
Charlie had stood in front of all of Heaven, of the Speaker of God herself, and refused to let her go alone.
Vaggi closed her eyes, snuggling Charlie tighter to her chest.
Where you go, I go, mi corazón.
I swear it.