Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Charlotte, dear.”

“Yes, grandma?”

“What’s that on your neck there?”

Charlotte dropped the fork that she had been holding on to her plate and it clattered loudly, only adding to the dramatic effect of how she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

The blue haired girl had been happily eating her breakfast and enjoying another morning with her favorite (only really) grandma. Originally, she had been relieved. After a long night of... spending time with her girlfriend, the teen was successful in sneaking back into her home without waking her grandmother, and after being completely sure any evidence was gone, (black lipstick smudged too much, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Vendetta did it on purpose.) the cheery girl slipped back into bed like nothing happened.

“Honey?” Charlene spoke again, snapping her back into reality.

“Hm?” Maybe if she pretended she didn’t hear her...

“Your neck?” Charlene tapped the side of her own neck, “There seems to be a big bruise on there.”

It was painfully obvious to tell when Charlotte was trying to hide something. Her grandmother raised her to be honest and open. And in any other case, that would have been easy.

Except this wasn’t that case.

It wasn’t as if she had planned to sneak out last night. Charlotte didn’t really partake in any forms of rebellion, she had no reason to. She didn’t break rules, when her grandma asked her to do something she did it, and on top of that she was an extremely good student.

However when her phone buzzed around 9 pm last night, right before she was about to sleep, she immediately opened it up when she saw there was a notification from Vendetta. The Bulgarian girl rarely texted, telling her she preferred to send messenger fiends when she didn’t feel like telling someone something in person. So of course the blue haired girl answered it.

It was a simple sentence, just ‘im outside.’ She had inched out of bed excitedly(she couldn’t control it, Vendetta gave her butterflies still) peering out of her window, only to see her girlfriend was indeed outside waiting for her.

Vendetta looked pretty in the moonlight. Hair tied in long pigtails, eyes trying to give her an unenthused stare that Charlotte saw right through. The blue girl had given her the biggest grin and raced down the stairs as quietly she could, slipping outside and asking “Did you miss me? through giggles to taller girl who was clearly trying to hide a blush by looking away.

Oh right. Grandma was talking to her.

Going back to the present, Charlotte chewed on her bottom lip, awkwardly avoiding her grandmas questioning gaze. “I... well, you know! I was clumsy, ha... I slipped.. And fell.”

“You..... fell?” Charlene gave her an incredulous look.

“Yep!” Charlotte nodded, praying that the warmth in her cheeks wasn’t showing. She wondered idly if Vendetta had meant to leave her mark so plain in sight.

Probably.

Thinking about this caused memories of low smirks and soft kisses being exchanged while being held gently to resurface in her mind.

Her heart was hammering loudly against her rib cage, face no doubt a bright red by now. These were not appropriate thoughts to be having while at the table! She wished she’d worn a scarf today.

“Alright then!” Her grandma spoke and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief that the subject was dropped.

“You know,” Grandma Charlene said, walking towards the sink and beginning to wash her plate, a smile on her face, “The two of you aren’t very subtitle. You should bring a sweater next time, dear. It’s been chilly lately!”

Charlotte froze, then covered her face in embarrassment, mumbling out an “okaygrandma.” through her hands.

Chapter Text

Vendetta rolled her eyes to the back of her head, staring down at her hands as she got lost in thought. This was all her fault for becoming so soft. Scratch that, it was Charlotte’s fault for giving her these cursed.... emotions.

She was knitting a pair of gloves for gods sake.

Actually, it was more like she was attempting to knit a pair of gloves.

How did she end up doing this? Vendetta asked herself the same thing. She was to be feared, she could make someone tremble in fear with a single look. She did not partake in such useless frilly such as knitting.

Yet here the Bulgarian teen sat on the couch, right next to her cheery girlfriend, yarn all around them. Buttons 2 made himself useful, scooping it up in his beak when Vendetta shooed her hand at the fiend she originally made that Charlotte somehow turned into a pet. She remembers how annoyed she was, the blue haired girl managed to survive anything she threw at her without even a scratch, but that former annoyance gradually turned into being impressed. And it wasn’t long before that turned into attraction.

But back to why she was even doing this in the first place.

Ah, how could she forget? Yes, her girlfriend had come up with the stupidly thoughtful idea to make Grudge some winter clothing. Vendetta saw it as unnecessary but.... saying no to Charlotte when she was so excited was something her brain protested.

“Do you need help with that, gumdrop?” Charlotte sweetly asked with a smile, knitting a hat that already looked extremely well crafted. Vendetta glared at it.

“No, of course I don’t.” She stated, going back to her small struggle. She was a creator of fiends, Clamburg was at her feet. She was a ruthless dictator, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

The Bulgarian girl was also very stubborn, so help was out of the question.

Vendetta heard Charlotte let out a half muffled giggle and shot her an offended look. “What is so funny?!”

“I-it’s just-“ Another giggle erupted from her, “Those aren’t gonna fit on your hamsters paws is all.”

Vendetta said nothing, only letting out a grumble as she dropped the knitting needles. “I can just make a fiend to do this pesky job.”

“It’s not a job silly, it’s an activity! That means it’s supposed to be fun!” Charlotte continued to smile, placing the finished hat down on the coffee table. “Here, let me show you.”

She reached over and placed the needles back into Vendetta’s hands, scooting closer. Her slightly smaller hands covered Vendetta’s, “You hold them like this, and make a little knot...”

Vendetta swallowed, flustered. Charlotte’s hands were soft, she was so warm too. And, Vendetta thought begrudgingly, she was the tiniest amount of grateful for the help.

If anyone else were to see her like this, she’d have them destroyed on the spot. Charlotte should be the one who felt grateful, (she was)

“Hey! You’re getting really good at this, Ven.” Charlotte hummed, pressing her shoulder against the taller girls for no reason other than the fact that she loved to be as close as possible to the gothic girl.

Vendetta was now grinning, obviously pleased with herself and the compliment, “Of course I am!” She paused, a nagging in the back of her head, “....I appreciate the help.”

Charlotte promptly squealed and hugged her.

So maybe knitting wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Grudge ended up loving the present that an enthusiastic Charlotte and a scoffing Vendetta who was pretending she had nothing to do with the entire thing gave to him later that day.