(Covered in blood and sweating) Do you like fallenwings (lute x vaggi) ,,,would yoi consider,,,, thank yoi for your time
Short answer: yes. Long answer: ngl, at first it just felt like the most bare bones enemies-to-lovers ever conceived; canon gives me the impression Lute never liked Vaggi and I didn't even see much reciprocation of hatred on Vaggi's part. It felt more like an orca beating tf out of a penguin as soon as there was a good excuse than an actual relationship, lol. I only liked thinking about them as foils.
But I thought it over a few times and came around to it! I see it less as enemies-to-lovers and more as kinda-friends-with-closeted-feelings-to-enemies. They would make for a really interesting exploration of relationships forged and ruined in cult-like settings. (Needlessly long explanation below)
Through the power of my imagination I determined that Lute would've been Vaggi's primary inspiration to train when she doubted the exorcisms, and she clung harder to that admiration each year as her doubts in her own ability to kill sinners grew. Since the exorcists are isolated from the rest of heaven with their own strict hierarchy, they probably formed strong (and unhealthy) bonds to avoid being cast out with no place to go. It helps that they were created with a shared purpose.
Lute likes/respects Vaggi for living the "right way," but mentally sets her apart from the others because Vaggi is practically her equal in everything but rank, yet maintains enough individuality and empathy to look out for her fellow soldiers in a way Lute and Adam don't. She's a natural leader, and a kind one. She's a capable soldier, but hasn't sacrificed her autonomy. Though Lute chooses to hate those "weaknesses," she has a lot of unprocessed feelings about it deep down, having dedicated so much of herself to her work and Adam that it's difficult to see somebody be good at their job without fitting a mould. Her interest manifests as her weirdly hovering over Vaggi's shoulder and entrusting more work to her when they're on good terms, unable to actually admit her feelings to Vaggi or herself.
Ultimately the peace can't last, since Vaggi can only get Lute's approval through acting as an ideal exorcist and not herself, and Lute is so indoctrinated she is incapable of being her own person and prioritizing new relationships (plus she's horrible to the other excorcists and Vaggi when they don't meet her standards, lol). As Vaggi grows more disillusioned with the army and keeps pushing back on the rules, Lute's feelings deteriorate into resentment as she digs in her heels, seeing Vaggi's empathy as an insult to their entire existence. To top it off, the power imbalance that's always been there serves to drive them further apart. Vaggi and Lute understand eachother in a way Adam never will, but still not completely, as Lute is given privileges the rest of the army aren't.
And yeah. After Vaggi is left for dead, any fondness on her part for Lute completely vanishes, and Lute only obsesses over Vaggie as a challenge to her life's purpose.
