Hell Hath No Fury (ch4)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $30+ PATRONS!

As promised, this time it will be more from Charlie's perspective, and she is gonna take care of her overly-high-strung girlfriend.

Warnings for rude comments but it's nothing worse than what the show gives us.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hazbin Hotel.

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															Chapter 4.

Charlie has been so thrilled about getting extra help at the hotel that she hasn't stopped smiling for days on end. She smiles even though all Husk does in drink, smiles even when Angel makes rude comments, and smiles even when Alastor says something slightly suspicious.

It's just that most of her bigger concerns and worries have been temporarily put on the back-burner for now as she tries to focus on the fact that her dream is very slowly and very steadily coming true right in front of her eyes.

But in spite of her own giddiness, she's noted that Vaggie has seemed to become more and more irritable now that she has a handful of wild cards to keep an eye on. Charlie notices her girlfriend does a lot of groaning and sighing and muttering under her breath - more than usual.

Charlie always does her best to put a hand on Vaggie's shoulder or sneak her in a little kiss whenever she can, constantly trying to remind her that her help is appreciated.

But she does realize that she's been spending a lot less alone time with Vaggie recently - mainly because they aren't exactly alone in the hotel any longer. It's always nice to retire in the evenings and go to bed together where they can have hours to themselves, but Charlie wants to do a little bit more for a change.

She gets the opportunity in the late afternoon, not even a week after their new hotel staff has come into the picture. Charlie hears her girlfriend from across the lobby, lecturing Husk about his drinking habits when he's on the job.

"I'm serious," she huffs. "It just doesn't make any sense for a rehabilitation hotel to have a drunkard at the front desk, now does it?"

"Hey, listen, girlie," he grunts back. "The deal was that I keep my fuckin' booze if you want me workin' here. But if you changed your mind, I'll gladly pack my fuckin' bags and get back to the casino, trust me."

Charlie slowly starts making her way over, already trying to think about what she could say to pacify the situation as Vaggie prepares for a comeback. But before she can say anything, Angel turns around from his seat at the bar to throw in his two cents.

"Geez, are you seriously on this again?" he sighs dramatically. "You said it yourself that we could keep the bar, toots. Can't go back on your word now."

"Actually, I never said that," she snaps back. "You tackled me before I could finish."

"And now ya see why." Angel fluffs up his hair and his chest indifferently. "It'd be nice if you could ever just shut the hell up for once."

And now Charlie more or less runs the rest of the way over to interject.

"Hey!" she chimes in quickly, putting herself between Angel and Vaggie, giving her girlfriend the best smile she can muster. "Vaggie, I actually need you for a sec. Could you come here, please?" Charlie swiftly takes hold of her fuming girlfriend's hand and pulls her away from the others. Vaggie mutters and curses all the while, and Charlie can feel her nails digging into the back of her hand. Charlie brings her toward the doors where they're out of earshot.

"I swear-" Vaggie hisses. "I swear to god I'm gonna kill at least one of them."

"Hey, hey… Vaggie?" Charlie puts both of her hands on Vaggie's shoulders and leans down a little so she's eye-level with her. She gives her best and warmest smile, the kind of smile she can only ever give Vaggie in return for all of the love and support she's given Charlie in her affairs.

"Take a breath, okay? No wonder you have gray hair. It's because you're always so stressed out all the time." Charlie closes her eyes for a second as she nuzzles Vaggie's cheek, sneaking a soft little kiss in as well. She can feel it for herself when Vaggie's tense shoulders relax a little, when the growl in her throat fades away into a sigh.

"Charlie, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Charlie grins. "I know you're only doing all of this because you wanna help me. Keeping those guys in line can't be easy on you. But you don't have to drive yourself crazy every single day for my sake, okay? We're gonna make this work either way."

The anger has already vanished from Vaggie's good eye. No matter how furious she might get at other demons for whatever shit they may pull, she's never once gotten genuinely angry at Charlie.

"I just… I can't help but worry sometimes."

"I know," Charlie murmurs. "And I know I'm the one who's always making you worry. You're always trying to protect me for everything, but it's really okay, Vaggie. You don't have to worry so much. I did kind of inherit a few things from my parents in terms of power and abilities and stuff."

Vaggie sighs again, lifting up her hands to hold them over Charlie's now.

"But there's one thing you didn't inherit, for sure," she says. "Your heart is way too pure, hun. I still can't believe how you managed to end up this way when you were literally born in Hell." Now, she finally smiles back. "I guess some things really are almost too good to be true."

"I thought the same thing when I first met you~"

"Ugh, Charlie, I'm gonna barf. But in a good way."

"Heehee~" Charlie kisses her nose again, and this time Vaggie kisses hers back.

Now that she's calmed down and started smiling again, Charlie wants to keep it this way and give Vaggie a nice relaxing evening for once. She picks up both of her girlfriend's hands now and squeezes them enthusiastically, bouncing up and down a little.

"Oh! Hey, hey! Y'know what we should do?"

"Easy, hun." Vaggie rolls her eyes lovingly and tries to hold her down. "What should we do?"

"Weeee shoooould go on a date!"

Vaggie blinks and tilts her head curiously.

"Babe, I'd love that, but… the hotel's still open for another hour."

"It's okay! It'll just be a little one! We'll just go for a quick walk together! How's that sound?"

Vaggie ponders for a moment, glancing distastefully over her shoulder at the other 'workers' before turning back to her.

"I think a walk to clear my head would be great right now, actually."

"Yay!" Charlie twirls around and gives her a quick spin before zipping in to her side, curling her fingers through hers. "This is gonna be so nice!"

"As nice as a walk through Hell can be, I suppose. Since I have you."

"Aw, Vaggie, you're gonna make me blush."

"You're always blushing, hun."

"Fair point."

And so they discreetly slip out the front doors and leave the others inside to their own devices for now.

As soon as they step outside, all the usual sounds of Hell fill the air; cackling voices, echoing shouts, guttural growling and laughter, an occasional screech here or there. Demons of all shapes, sizes, colors, and species prowl the streets both in packs and solo. And being it's a weekend night, most of them are out partying and causing mischief and chaos. Nearly every alleyway has some kind of skirmish or gathering happening, and Charlie does her best to ignore it all and simply focus on Vaggie. She looks skyward, to the dark redness that glows down on them at all times.

"Hey, Vaggie?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Tell me again what the sky looks like up there."

Her query gives Vaggie something else to think of too, other than the rambunctious demons running around. Charlie steps in closer to her, brushing up against her side as Vaggie tells about her old world's sky.

"It was really beautiful," she says. "Most of the time it was blue. Like this really nice, bright blue. It's kinda strange to think about, but it's a color you don't really see too often down here, even just in everyday things."

Charlie hums as they walk, wanting Vaggie to continue. After a moment, she does.

"But it wasn't always just the same blue either. Sometimes, like on really warm summer days, it could become a dark kind of blue. Really really deep and fierce. And the clouds would be pure white and make it stand out even more. Those were always some of my favorite days…"

Charlie can tell her mind is taking her back to her old life, but that often makes Vaggie upset, so Charlie squeezes her hand to keep her grounded. Vaggie shakes her head and keeps going.

"But it wasn't always just blue either, even though most people thought of it that way. Sometimes it would be all white or gray. Sometimes it would be yellow or orange or pink or lavender. Sometimes it would be black or dark purple. It really was amazing…"

As she speaks, Charlie tries to imagine the bland firmament of Hell changing into such beautiful colors. She sighs longingly as they continue down the sidewalks.

"Tell me about the rainbows~"

"Oh yeah," Vaggie nods. "The rainbows were rare, but when you did see one, it made you just a little bit happy, no matter what was going on at the time. Sometimes it was just a fragment of one, like a little piece peeking in through the light in the clouds. But I know for sure I saw a full rainbow at least three times in my life. And let me tell you, Charlie, when they're big enough to cover the whole sky, it almost makes you feel like everything's going to be all right."

Charlie sighs again, gazing up at the red sky of Hell and trying to paint a mental picture over it.

"I wanna see one," she murmurs. "A real rainbow, up there, against a blue sky…"

"I know," Vaggie says, rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand. "But it isn't that simple."

"I know," Charlie admits. "It's just… nice to dream sometimes…"

"Yeah. It is."

It's a little bittersweet, but Charlie feels that their shared mood now has been put at ease after the stress from earlier. She plans to just loop around the block with Vaggie and then head back to the hotel before long, just enjoying a simple little date.

But this is Hell. Of course she should've known that things could never be that simple.

It's as they're passing by the dozenth sketchy establishment that smells of alcohol and smoke when a particularly loud bunch of demons stumbles into their path. They're all clearly drunk out of their senses, laughing obnoxiously. Charlie can feel Vaggie tugging her out of their way, but she accidentally ends up bumping into one of the bigger fellows. Offended and enraged, the bull-looking demon rounds on her with a snort.

"Hey! Watch where yer goin', bitch!"

Charlie flinches but puts her hands up defensively.

"S-Sorry! My bad." She feels Vaggie's hand on her shoulder, already trying to guide her away. But the drunk demons sneer and get right up in her face.

"Hah!" a fox demon snickers. "Well, if it ain't the princess herself."

"What?" another barks. "The one try'na run that shit hotel or whatever? What a fucking joke!"

Usually, Charlie can keep her cool if the comments are about her. But she takes it as a personal blow when someone insults her project.

"It isn't a joke!" she says firmly, crossing her arms.

"Charlie-" Vaggie's tone is urgent from beside her. "We should go-"

"Go where?" one of the demons laughs. "Might as well come and have a good time with us, why don't'cha? I've never fucked royalty before. Must be good."

"Hey!" Vaggie snaps, throwing herself in front of Charlie now and into the front-lines. "Don't you dare talk about her that way you sleazy bastard!"

Charlie can see she's absolutely seething, her dark nails curling dangerously, her pink bow sharpening like horns. She tries to reach out for her.

"Vaggie-"

But another round of loud guffaws cuts her off.

"You don't look too bad yerself, baby," the bull growls, licking his lips.

Vaggie doesn't falter.

"I'd rather get erased."

The other demons whoop and whistle, and the bull narrows his eyes.

"Suit yourself. I like blondes anyway." He makes a grab at Charlie, but before he can even get within a foot of her, Vaggie materializes her spear and rams it against his arm. He howls and spits, then snorts heavily.

"Watch yourself, bitch."

"Don't fucking touch my girlfriend, asshole."

"Yours, huh?" he chuckles. "We'll see about that."

"N-Now hold on," Charlie cuts in. "We don't want a fight-"

"Too bad," he snarls. "We do." The demon stomps his hoof into the ground and paws at it, shaking his head slowly from side to side, showing off his thick horns.

Charlie feels an awful dismay gripping her chest. She'd just wanted to have a nice date with Vaggie…

"Get back, hun." Vaggie presses her back behind her, putting herself in the line of fire and readying her spear. Charlie frantically tries to look for an escape route, wondering if it would just be quicker to transform and take her full demon shape or-

And then something catches her eye. While their full attention has been focused on the bull demon, the fox has slipped into their shadows. Charlie glimpses the glint of a blade just before he lunges right at her.

She doesn't even have the time to react. She can only cry out, for the first person she'd ever turn to for help.

"Vaggie-!"

Charlie squeezes her eyes shut, bracing herself for the plunge of cold metal into her flesh.

But it doesn't come.

Instead, she's knocked sideways, hitting the ground with a jarring impact. As she struggles to open her eyes, her mind races.

She prays it was just one of the other demons.

She prays it isn't what she already knows it is.

But the sound of Vaggie's pained gasp says it all.

"Ah-"

Charlie snaps her eyes open and her head up.

Vaggie's spear clatters to the ground as the fox demon yanks the knife out of her. Blood pours out after it, splashing loudly onto the sidewalk. Vaggie staggers, gripping at the deep wound in her side, sputtering.

Charlie freezes in absolute terror just as Vaggie loses her balance and starts to fall. Charlie instantly tears herself from her panic and rushes up to catch her.

"Vaggie!"

Vaggie slumps against her chest as Charlie locks her arms protectively around her, dropping to her knees to hold her girlfriend in her lap. She can feel blood seeping into her clothes. Vaggie's breath hitches around an agonized groan, and a weak little cough. Charlie tries to hold her up, pressing one hand over the wound and cradling her face with the other.

"Vaggie? Vaggie-?"

"Hah!" Cruel laughter erupts from above them as the band of drunks looks them over now. "Damn, dude!" the bull shouts. "You actually got one!"

"I did, didn't I?" The fox licks the blood off the knife with satisfaction. They all burst out cackling again.

But Charlie's quiet fury begins leaking into the air, becoming palpable, making the air so thick with rage that the demons choke on their own laughter.

Her eyes turn blood-red - redder than the color bleeding out of Vaggie's stomach.

Her black lips curl back in a furious snarl to reveal her full teeth and fangs - ten times sharper than the knife that had caused all of this.

Her horns begin climbing up out of her forehead, growing longer and longer until they're three times the length of the bull demon's.

Her hair comes undone and swirls wildly all around her, a whirling yellow chaos that whips in some unseen wind.

The other demons freeze as their eyes grow wide and their voices die.

Charlie doesn't even stand up to her full height. She remains crouched over Vaggie, shielding her with her own body just as Vaggie had done for her. Her muscles are tense, building up all the rage until she appears prepared to pounce on the sorry souls who had crossed her. She parts her jaws which are now full of sharp teeth, and a heated breath materializes like steam from her lips.

"Oh, you 'got one' all right…"

Her voice has become a deep, guttural growl, distorted and disorienting to those it's aimed at. The other demons can't move. She doesn't let them. She shows them a fragment of what the Princess of Hell is really capable of.

"You got the wrong one," she snarls. "Once I'm finished with you sorry bastards, you'll sure as Hell wish you'd gotten me instead."

Her body drains the oxygen right out of the air, bringing it to herself instead. It fuels the flames in her hair and around her demonic aura, and leaves the demons suffocating where they stand. They try to speak, try to beg for their lives, try to mumble desperate apologies.

And in that moment, Charlie intends to kill them. She really does. She's never killed anyone before, but she'd gladly make them the first bunch. Right now she doesn't give a shit that they're her people.

It's only a slight shuddering in her arms and a soft whimper from Vaggie that drags Charlie back to her senses; there are more important matters than revenge at hand right now.

So she exhales slowly, white-hot steam that melts at the demons' feet. They've all lost their color by now.

Almost reluctantly, Charlie relinquishes her hold on them. The gang of terrified demons drops to the ground, coughing and wheezing and yelping in terror before scrambling away like the rats they are.

There are no other demons anywhere on the streets now. They'd all witnessed and sensed the princess' rage and knew better than to go anywhere near her. Not a soul dares to interfere or even reveal itself in this moment.

Charlie returns her full attention to her girlfriend now.

Vaggie is breathing hard, wincing over and over at the pangs of pain shooting through her. Charlie hadn't aimed her rage at her of course, but her transformation very well may have made things more uncomfortable for her. So she quickly reverts back to her usual state now, pressing her hand over the bleeding wound again.

"Vaggie? Oh, Vaggie, I-I'm so sorry-"

There's blood spreading over both their clothes and leaking down onto the sidewalk. She knows other demons will be attracted by the smell before long. Charlie swallows past a thickness in the back of her throat, trying not to lose control of her emotions.

"Vaggie? Vaggie…?" She holds her up as best she can, trying not to move her too much. Charlie's heart is in her throat. She leans forward just a little, planting a soft kiss to her forehead. "Vaggie…? Please…"

It takes her girlfriend a minute of bated breath, but eventually she manages to open her good eye.

"Char- ngh…"

"Vaggie!" Charlie dips forward and hugs her as best she can. "Oh, thank goodness!" She eases back, making sure to keep pressure on the wound. "It's okay. Y-You're gonna be fine. Just breathe for me, okay? Breathe, Vaggie."

"Ow… shit…"

"That works too." Charlie knows if she has the energy to curse then she isn't in too much danger. Demons in Hell did have enhanced regeneration to some degree; the more powerful the demon, the faster and more efficient the healing. Vaggie's regeneration was pretty solid on its own, but with Charlie sharing some of her energy as well, she can already feel the wound closing up. It's deep for sure, but from what Charlie can tell it hadn't hit anywhere vital.

She's indescribably relieved that it hadn't been a fatal blow. She feels sick just thinking about it. If she ever lost Vaggie… she'd probably turn Hell upside-down herself.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to.

Charlie holds her close as she waits for the wound to heal, petting her fingers gently through Vaggie's bangs, caressing her cheek with shaking fingers. Once Vaggie can breathe easily again, she blinks her eye open and looks up at her.

"Charlie… are you okay?"

Charlie huffs.

"You can't seriously be asking me that right now."

"But I am. Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one who just got stabbed!" she cries. "But since I know it'll make you feel better, I'm not hurt. I'm fine."

As expected, her saying those words puts Vaggie at ease. She lets out a long, shaky sigh.

"Thank goodness…"

"Hey!" Charlie pouts. "Don't you 'thank goodness' me, missy! You're still bleeding out, you know!"

"It's almost healed," Vaggie reassures her, now managing to sit up a little straighter. "And besides, I wasn't gonna let those creeps lay a finger on you."

"Vaggie-"

"Hun, I know what you're gonna say. I know you can take care of yourself. But if I see an opportunity to step in and be your shield, I'm going to do it."

"Vaggie!" Charlie can't hold back the tears anymore. They spill over down her cheeks and onto their bloodstained laps. Charlie throws both arms around her now, shuddering at the scent of so much of Vaggie's blood on her own hands. "Don't say that!" she hiccups. "You're not a shield! You're my girlfriend! You're my Vaggie…"

She breaks down blubbering there in the streets of Hell, soaked in her girlfriend's blood. The wound has finally stopped bleeding, thankfully, so Charlie can now use both of her hands to cling to her. She hears Vaggie sigh in relief, feels her wrap her arms around her in return, feels her rest her chin on top of Charlie's head.

"I'm sorry, hun. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Then... don't get stabbed next time..."

"I promise you I'll try my best not to."

Charlie cries for a couple of minutes, not caring if other demons see her or not. She wails and hiccups into Vaggie's shoulder, clinging to her tightly. All the while, she can feel Vaggie stroking through her hair, trying to help her calm down.

"I'm okay, Charlie," she murmurs. "I'm fine now. It's okay." Charlie sniffles, wrinkling up her nose a little as she finally eases back. Vaggie reaches out to wipe her tears softly. "I probably looked pretty lame, huh? I couldn't even get a hit in."

"They ambushed us!" Charlie reminds her.

"Leave it to demons to play dirty," Vaggie sighs. "If I ever see those guys again, I swear I'm gonna-"

"Oh, I don't think they'll ever show their faces around us again," Charlie soothes c her. "They can't be that stupid."

Vaggie blinks.

"What… exactly did you do to them, hun?"

Charlie shrugs.

"Oh, not much. Don't worry about it~" She kisses Vaggie's nose and makes a little 'mwah!'

"If you say so…"

With this, Charlie helps Vaggie to her feet, keeping her steady. Vaggie still groans a little and holds onto her sore side, so Charlie keeps an arm around her back.

They take it slow, leaving behind yet another puddle of blood stained into the streets of Hell. Whenever Vaggie needs a minute, Charlie stops and waits with her, peppering her face with little kisses.

"Sorry," she mumbles once the hotel is in sight. "This was kind of a crappy date."

"Are you kidding?" Vaggie grins. "I loved getting to spend some time alone with you, hun. And there was some action, too. I just wish I could've actually gotten a hit in on them…"

"Yes, what a shame," Charlie giggles. "You'll have to save it for next time. But for now, you're resting up. Princess' orders."

"Can't argue with that."

They reach the front doors of the hotel and attempt to sneak in quietly without alerting anyone else. But just before Charlie can usher her up the stairs, Angel, of all demons, spots them covered in blood.

"Whoa! Holy shit! The hell happened ta you two?"

"None of your business," Vaggie grumbles. Charlie pats her shoulder and gives Angel a smile.

"D-Don't worry! We're fine! Just gonna rest up a bit, that's all."

Angel looks like he's about to say something else, but then refrains. He grins instead.

"Did'ja win, at least?"

"Oh yeah," Charlie says puffing up her chest. "You should see the other guys."

Angel laughs and lets them go.

Charlie helps Vaggie up the stairs for one flight, then they take an elevator from there to the top floor. They limp their way to their room and head straight for the bed. When she can finally sit down somewhere soft and familiar, Vaggie lets out a long breath.

"Just another day in Hell…"

Charlie sits next to her, running a hesitant hand up and down her back.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not really."

"Vaggie-"

"Okay fine. It hurts a little."

Charlie frowns, wrinkling her nose again as the stench of drying blood rises up.

"In any case, let's get changed."

They shed their bloody clothes for their usual nightgowns, Vaggie's being black with purple highlights and Charlie's pink with white. Charlie helps her girlfriend into bed, fluffing her pillow and pulling the covers up over her before slipping in beside her. She snuggles up close to her, pulling Vaggie into a warm hug, letting her fingers glide softly over her side.

"Do you think it'll scar?" she wonders.

"Maybe. But I don't care. Better me than you."

"Vaggie!" Charline whines. "I'm not more important than you or any other demon!"

Vaggie gives her an 'I don't believe you but okay' look, but says nothing. She just loops her arms around Charlie's shoulders and kisses her quietly. Charlie sighs against her and kisses back.

After a moment, she eases away, nuzzling her nose with hers.

"Thanks, Vaggie. You didn't have to do what you did, but… I know it's who you are. Just- try not to do it so much that you get hurt, okay?"

"I can try. But no promises."

"Geez, what am I gonna do with you…?"

"For now? Sleep."

Vaggie traces her palm across Charlie's cheek, and the princess leans into her touch. When Vaggie coaxes her closer, Charlie complies, burrowing her face into her girlfriend's collar. Vaggie hugs her shoulders and plays with her hair a bit in slow, lulling ministrations.

Charlie runs her hand lightly over her sore side, wishing her touch could erase the experience altogether. She closes her eyes and listens to Vaggie's heart for a while. It's always been much slower than she knows her own pulse to be. She wonders if it had sounded exactly the same way back when Vaggie had been alive, or if it was any different now.

Either way, Charlie is glad to know it's just for her.

"Goodnight, Vaggie," she murmurs, finally closing her eyes.

Vaggie does the same.

"Night, Charlie."

With the hectic day behind them, they drift off together, dreaming of kinder people and bluer skies.

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A/N: I wanted to include a few things in here: first of all Charlie taking care of Vaggie for a change (the idea of her going full-blown demon for the sake of protecting her? Give it to meeee).

Secondly, her asking Vaggie about life 'up there'. I think she'd love to hear about rainbows and whatnot.

And thirdly, I'm a sucker for Vaggie always calling her pet names like hun and stuff, but I wanted Charlie to do the same. Like when she's frustrated, I think calling her 'missy!' would be plausible. And when she's really being sincere... 'my Vaggie'... I just had to.

To combat the canon concept of demons getting erased if they die in Hell (which seems too harsh, they only get one shot and then they're gone forever), I threw in the concept of healing/regeneration based on power level/status. This way they can get into more fights and survive a heck of a lot longer in their afterlives.

I already have a chapter 5 in the works so stay tuned!