Chapter Text
“Every heartbeat is a melody, every moment you’re with me~ Nothing else could be this true — love’s the perfect view~”
Charlie’s eyes fluttered open as she woke up from the alarm playing on her phone, feeling a bit drained but relaxed. She reached for the phone and pressed the alarm button, and the song she recorded stopped. She turned her head and smiled when she saw her boyfriend, Vox, still asleep. She scooted herself closer and gave him a small kiss on his screen.
“I love you,” she whispered while looking at Vox.
Life’s funny sometimes. One day, you’re just a princess, and then the next thing you know, you’re also a music pop star and the girlfriend of one of the most influential overlords in hell. Yep, before meeting Vox six months ago, Charlie didn’t really have that many ambitions or goals in life. So when she met Vox, it was like a whole new door had been opened to her, and she loved it. Does it get crazy sometimes? Sure. But with Vox’s support, she was happy.
Charlie got up, got dressed, and went through her morning routine. Light workout, shower, and breakfast with the Vees in the private dining room. She sat beside Vox’s seat, as she always must.
The TV demon entered the room along with the rest of the Vees, Valentino, and Velvette.
“There’s my perfect shining star!” Vox said with enthusiasm as he sat next to the princess. “And how are you this morning, my dear?”
“I’m great, Voxy, thank you for asking,” Charlie replied. As the two looked at each other and cooed happily, one person at the table silently scowled with jealousy: Valentino.
Meanwhile, Velvette, the “she Vee”, ate her breakfast nonchalantly. She grew used to the princess’s company, even if the bubbly personality can get a bit annoying. It was nice having another woman in the team, though.
“Oh, Charlotte, love,” Velvette said. “I got that new design ready for you for your next music video. We need one more fitting.”
“Sounds like fun,” Charlie said cheerfully.
Vox smiled until he saw the look in Valentino’s eyes. He cleared his throat and put on a quick smile again.
“Say, why don’t you two ladies go to the fitting now while us guys talk?” Vox suggested.
Velvette understood the subtext and got up after finishing her meal.
“C’mon, Sunshine,” the fashionista said with a smile.
“I’m coming, VeVe.” Charlie said before she got up and kissed Vox, “Love you,” she said.
“And I love you, sugarplum,” Vox said.
“See you later, Valentino,” Charlie said to the moth demon before walking away with Velvette.
As soon as the women left, Valentino gagged. “Sugarplum. ¡Voy a enfermarme!” he said.
“Would you quit giving her death glares!” Vox snapped at the moth demon.
Valentino groaned. “But I can’t stand her! All that smiling and sweetness. I can actually feel my teeth rotting whenever I’m around her.”
“Are you sure it’s not from all the pussy eating?” Vox said. “Anyway, we’ve been over this. We need the princess to be happy here with us. Since she got here, our ratings have never been higher!”
“Who gives a skank’s ass about the ratings?”
“I do! She’s great for our image.”
““Our” image? You mean “yours”! She’s always seen with you, with your arms wrapped around her.”
“Of course, she’s my arm candy.”
Val rolled his eyes and blew some of his cigarette smoke. “I’m just saying if this is really about “our” image, then shouldn’t that mean she should be seen with the rest of us as well?”
“Val. Don’t start that again,” Vox said ominously.
“I probably wouldn’t bitch as much about this if you’d share the princess. At least let me borrow her for a bit.”
“Out of the question!” Vox snapped. “We’ve tried this before, remember? She nearly ran away because of your “suggestions”!” Before he chuckled. “W-we need the princess happy, and being dragged into your porn studio doesn’t make her happy. So no sharing! And no distracting her either!” Vox got up. “Tonight, I plan on asking her about reaching to... you-know-who.”
Valentino grumbled.
“You know what the stakes are. So don’t get any ideas to scare her away!” Vox said before he left the room.
Valentino’s face burned with anger... but just as he was about to yell, an idea suddenly came to him.
Hours Later...
Charlie was in the recording studio singing her song.
“Every heartbeat is a melody, every moment you’re with me~ Nothing else could be this true — love’s the perfect view~”
And the music stops.
Afterwards, Charlie went to retire for a while in her personal dressing room. She dressed in her pink robe and sat in her pink loveseat.
“Another perfect day.” She sighed.
Then the princess noticed a box on the vanity. She blushed as she approached the box and opened it. There was a note with a beautiful ruby teardrop necklace inside. She picked up the note.
“Dear Charlie, I arranged a dinner date for the two of us tonight in my suite. I hope to see you there with my new gift for you. Love, Vox.”
“Aw. He’s so sweet,” Charlie said as she placed the note down. “And this is gorgeous! Oh! And I know just what to wear with it.” She rushed to her wardrobe and opened the door. When she did, she saw a thick envelope on her shoe rack that she’d never seen before.
“Huh?” Charlie said. She grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside were papers of drawings, a to-do list, and schematics for something called the ‘Happy Hotel’. Her heart raced when she recognized the handwriting on the paper as her own. At the bottom of the to-do list was a section of a business meeting with Voxtex over a possible merger, and then the list stopped.
Charlie’s hands shook and a faint static sound buzzed in her ears. What was all this? What did it mean? What was the happy hotel? The woman rubbed her temples, trying to remember anything about this... but her mind was coming up blank.
Then there was a single note in handwriting that wasn’t Charlie’s behind all the papers.
“You’re Vox’s prisoner! Escape now while you can!”
Charlie dropped the papers and sat heavily on the love seat. Was she being held here against her will? No, that can’t be. She was allowed to leave... wasn’t she?
Now that she thought about it, though, she realized that she hadn’t gone anywhere without Vox beside her or checking on her whereabouts via text message or phone call. But that’s only because he cares about her, and makes sure she’s alright... right?
Vox has always been nice to her, never complained, and never raised a hand to her. He’s given her love and direction. But was it all a lie?
After some back and forth in her mind, Charlie made a decision...
Later...
Charlie entered the private dining room where she and Vox would eat alone together. The room had several monitors showing a sunset sky with orange and red hues and soft clouds.
Charlie wore a simple red dress that accentuated her curves and matched the teardrop necklace Vox gave her. She carried a large clutch in one hand.
Vox, wearing a red suit that matched Charlie’s, approached the princess with a smile on his face.
“There she is,” Vox said. “There’s my star,” He wrapped his arms around Charlie and leaned in to kiss her, but Charlie turned her head, and he kissed her hair instead.
“It’s um- It’s good to see you too, Vox,” Charlie said, barely looking at Vox’s eyes, while patting his chest before slipping out of his arms and moving to the table.
Vox stood there in surprise. She just slipped away from him... that’s never a good sign, but the TV demon quickly composed himself and smiled.
“You look beautiful as always, my dear,” Vox said.
Charlie smiled as she sat down and cautiously looked at Vox. “Thank you,” she said before turning her attention to the table. “So, what’s for dinner? I’m starving.”
Vox smiled, but on the inside, he was suspicious.
The two sat down and started eating.
“I have the results of the rating for your latest music video, Charlie. Love’s The Perfect View.” Vox said before one of the tv monitors showed the rating. “Once again, it’s through the roof.”
The princess smiled and just hummed. Charlie, usually lively with chatter, couldn’t stop thinking about the papers in her clutch.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Vox pointed out as he cut into his steak. “Is something wrong?”
“N-no, I’m just a bit tired from a long day, that’s all,” Charlie said as she moved her food around her plate.
Vox reached out for the princess’s hand and held it. “Charlie, sugarplum, darling, if something’s bothering you, know you can tell me,” he said with a smile.
Charlie looked at Vox cautiously. “Well, since you brought it up, there is something.” She admitted as she pulled her hand back. “Do you remember when I first came to the Vee tower?”
Vox smiled brightly. “Of course I do, darling,” he said. “I remember it very clearly.”
“Great. Could you remind me why I came to the tower in the first place?”
Vox’s smile twitched. “You came here looking to talk to me,” he said.
“Okay. But why? What for?” Charlie said.
Vox chuckled. “Goodness, Charlie. Is this a date night or an interview? What’s with all these questions?”
“Well... I don’t know why, but I just realized that whenever I try to remember why I came to the tower, my mind draws a blank. And I can’t help but wonder why.”
“You don’t say? Well, it’s no great mystery as to why you came here.” Vox said. “You were looking for ways to help make things better for the citizens of hell, and I helped you reach that goal. Your songs and overall optimism are greatly improving the people's afterlives.”
“My songs and optimism, huh?” Charlie asked. “Are you sure it wasn’t anything else? Maybe... the happy hotel?”
Vox’s antenna twitched, and his knuckles cracked. “The what now?” he asked with a strained smile.
Charlie’s face hardened. “The happy hotel,” she said firmly, her voice growing sharp. She stood up so fast that her chair fell backwards to the floor. “The hotel for redeeming sinners that I planned on building months ago. And before you deny it, I have the proof right here!” She took the papers out and threw them on the table.
Vox’s startled eyes scanned the papers. “Where did you get these?” he asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” Charlie said. “You’ve been lying to me.”
Vox got off his chair. “But Sugarplum-”
“Don’t you sugarplum me! Do you even love me? Or was it all a lie?”
“How can you even say that after everything?” Vox asked.
“That’s not a denial,” Charlie argued.
“Hold on-”
“I don’t want to hear it! I’m leaving this place!”
Charlie turned around and was about to leave when Vox zapped himself in front of the door and blocked it.
“WAIT!” Vox was on his knees. “Charlie, please! I’m begging you,” he pleaded. “Please, just give me a chance to talk and... and if you still want to leave after that, I swear, I’ll step back and let you go without a fight.”
The princess looked at the overlord suspiciously.
“All I’m asking for is a chance. Please?” Vox begged.
The desperate tone in Vox’s voice made Charlie hesitate. She sighed.
“Fine. Start talking.” Charlie said with her arms crossed.
Vox visibly relaxed and quickly got on his feet. “Thank you, Charlie,” he said. He stepped away from the door and stood in the center of the room. “It’s true. You did come here to talk to me about a possible merger for this “happy hotel”, but after talking for a while, you realized that this hotel idea wasn’t gonna work out after all.”
Charlie watched the TV demon with suspicion but said nothing.
“I mean, and let’s be honest here, your plan to build a hotel where wayward sinners can come in and “play nice” in the hopes- Not guarantee - hopes that they can somehow be redeemed and go to heaven is a cute idea on paper, but it’s... unlikely to work.”
Charlie pouted. “It may seem unlikely, but I still believe it can be done. And sometimes that’s enough.” She said.
“If you really believed that, then you never would’ve stepped into this tower in the first place,” Vox said. “After all, no one believed in your idea. Not the sinners—”
“Like you,” Charlie interjected.
“That’s harsh... but true. I didn't want to see you waste your potential on something so... unrealistic. After all, this is hell. Case closed.”
“Case closed. Give up is what you mean,” Charlie added.
“Mmmm-More or less,” Vox said with a shrug.
“Well, I don’t want to give up, and I find it very hard to believe that anyone could have changed my mind about it. Even you...” Charlie said with some hurt in her voice before she looked away. “I love you, Vox, but I think we need a break.”
There was a subtle twitch on Vox’s lips before he smiled sweetly. “Are you really sure you want to do that?” he asked as he stepped closer. “Look me in the eye and say that again if you mean it.”
Charlie turned to face the TV demon. “I said I-... I think...” she said, but her voice faltered as she looked into Vox’s spinning eye.
“You think?” Vox asked while using his hypnosis on the princess. “Well, we’ll just have to fix that, won’t we?” He held Charlie’s chin in his hand.
Charlie’s eyes soon reflected the spirals, but she knew something was wrong. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and backed away. But when she turned around, she was caught up in wires and turned to face Vox again.
“Let me go!” Charlie exclaimed, keeping her eyes closed.
“Oh, baby, I hate it when we fight like this,” Vox said, feigning concern. “Just let me have another look at you, and I’ll let you go,”
“LIAR!” Charlie yelled out, opening her eyes.
“Sticks and stones, sugarplum,” Vox said before he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, every monitor was showing those same spirals in Vox’s eye.
Charlie’s eyes reflected the spirals, unable to look away this time.
“You... lied...” she muttered.
“Not always,” Vox said tenderly as he kept up the hypnosis. “I really meant it when I said your hotel was a lost cause.”
Charlie could feel herself slipping.
Vox reached out and held Charlie’s head while stroking his fingers against her cheeks soothingly.
“And I also mean it when I say I love you,” Vox said, “You're the only one in hell who's ever made me forget about-” Vox stopped himself before finishing that thought. In one monitor in the corner, there flashed an image of the radio demon’s silhouette before Vox smashed that screen with his wire tentacle. “Well, we don't need to go into that. The point is, Charlie, we can do great things together, and we can be happy together... as long as you don’t walk out of the picture,”
Charlie was sinking further into the trance.
“After all, the two of us in love make the perfect view,” Vox said.
Charlie let out a pitiful whimper before...
*PING*
Her mouth stretched into a silly smile as her eyes spun wildly. She had fallen under.
Vox waited a few seconds before he stopped the spirals and let his wires slip away from the princess.
Though the wires were gone, Charlie stood rigid as a statue.
Vox wrapped his arms around Charlie in a hug and kissed her cheek.
“My perfect star,” Vox cooed. “Hand over the papers please.”
Moving like a marionette, the princess handed the papers of her hotel plans to the tv demon.
Without missing a beat, Vox burned the papers with his electricity until they were ash. He blew it away.
“There. No more papers. No more talk about the crappy hotel.” Vox said. “But feel free to tell me where you got those stupid papers from, Charlie.”
Later...
Charlie felt as though she was submerged under water. Floating helplessly until she heard a voice calling out to her...
“Charlie... Charlie... Charlie!”
The princess gasped when she opened her eyes. She looked around and found herself sitting at the table where she and Vox were eating dinner. The TV demon was sitting across from her.
“Charlie? Are you listening?” Vox asked.
“I... I was-” Charlie said before spirals briefly flashed in her eyes. With a blank expression, she looked back at the TV demon. “What was I doing?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. All I did was mentioned your dad, and you suddenly froze.” Vox said.
“Oh... Oh! My dad.” Charlie said. “What about him?”
“I was just saying, I think it would be a great opportunity to invite your dad to the tower. He can see the great work you do for sinners, and you could introduce us.”
Charlie looked uncertain. “Well, I don’t know Vox, he’s kind of aloof,” she said. Vox reached out and wrapped his hand around her smaller, white hand.
“There’s no need to rush it, of course, I just thought I’d throw that thought out there,” Vox said.
Charlie smiled. “Vox, I-” she said before sniffing the air. “Is something burning?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s probably from the broken TV over there.” Vox said before pointing at the smoking monitor. “I patched it up as best I could. I’ll have I.T. work on it later. For now... let’s focus on us, shall we?” he suggested.
Charlie beamed at that. “Let’s,” she said.
Later that night, the two were in bed with Vox petting Charlie’s hair while the princess lay there with spirals in her eyes.
“My sweet sugarplum,” Vox said tenderly before kissing Charlie’s forehead. “You will call your father tomorrow and invite him to the tower.”
Vox also made a mental reminder to himself to talk to Valentino about leaving notes in Charlie’s room.
The Next Morning...
“Every heartbeat is a melody, every moment you’re with me~ Nothing else could be this true — love’s the perfect view~”
Charlie’s eyes fluttered as she woke up from the alarm playing on her phone before she reached for the phone, pressed the alarm button, and the song she recorded stopped. She turned her head and smiled when she saw Vox, still asleep.
“I’ll call Dad today and invite him over. Vox will love that.” Charlie said softly.
Life’s funny sometimes…. Especially when someone else writes it for you.