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Dating after a revelation like “I was in love with your dad” was hard. You’d know firsthand. Of course you had planned to tell Abel at some point about it but it was a subject matter that was really hard to broach. It felt easier being on the other side of it though. At least that way the two of you could work through it instead of it weighting on your shoulders.
The first change you noticed was the frequent visits from Abel. You never expected him to visit often due to his busy schedule (and Hell being a little terrifying). It was always a treat to see the yellow of his portals shining when he came down to visit. He was spending nights with you after a while. It wasn’t as if he’d never stayed the night before. Now it felt like he was actually living with you instead of visiting from Heaven.
Waking up wrapped in Abel’s arms was a safety that you loved. It was comforting to know he wasn’t trying to get back to Heaven as soon as possible. Sometimes you felt bad about your horns poking him but he never complained. He told you all the time how he’d put up with getting poked all the time if it meant he got to stay with you. Somehow he still found ways to be a giant sap. You couldn’t really be surprised with someone like Abel though.
The hard part now was not being able to visit Heaven. As a succubus you’d never be able to be redeemed. That didn’t usually bother you but you did wish you could be shown around Heaven without it being through a screen. You knew Charlie had visited once but that was probably a “Princess of Hell” privilege. At the very least you could show him around Hell. The good parts. You’d been avoiding Cannibal Town like the plague. At least some parts of Pride were gorgeous.
Time was hard to keep track of as a technically ageless being. You’d been around for so long but you still connected with sinners centuries younger. You celebrated everything with Abel but it was hard to keep track of the numbers involved. You were so happy being with him that everyday still felt like your honeymoon phase. So your fifth anniversary snuck up on you. Honestly it felt like a blink of an eye and centuries later at the same time. Who could really tell anymore?
For your anniversary date you wanted to do something special. You typically stuck to Pentagram City since it’s where the two of you lived but you wanted to show him more. Exploring Imp City would likely be much more fun. Hellborn had more of a reason to have things that weren’t just dive bars, movie theaters, and sex hotels. Okay, yes, hellborn had those too but you liked to believe your people had standards.
The first on your list was Bathory’s Day Spa. Originally you’d wanted to take him to the arcade next door but some assholes burned it down. You made sure to pay extra (this month had been kind to you) so that you got a private room with Abel and the attendants wouldn’t say anything about him being an angel. It was nice to see him relaxing into the mud bath. You both knew how much he needed a good vacation. Lute was always so hard on him. It honestly worried you sometimes.
The spa was honestly gorgeous. That was to be expected of something reminiscent of the Sloth ring though. Their purple and pastels always felt out of place for a Pride and Lust ring native like yourself. Though they looked similar to what you’d seen from Heaven and you wanted to ease Abel into dealing with Hell outside of you and Charlie. Plus spa trips were always a treat. The attendants handed you each a glass of champagne. They left briefly to get more supplies, leaving just you and Abel.
You held up your glass to his, “I know you don’t really drink but happy anniversary sweetheart. I’m so glad you agreed to do this with me.”
Abel looked between you and the glass before gently clicking his glass against yours and drinking. He was no prude but it surprised you a little whenever he drank or did anything not entirely “holy.” Granted it was only champagne. Maybe this was the step in the right direction that you wanted. To help him let loose in Hell. You doubted winner angels could fall the same way Lucifer did anyway.
Abel sat the mostly full glass down. Him being in Hell more often was still an adjustment. A choice he’d make a million times over, sure, but an adjustment. He looked over to see your eyes looking him over. He couldn’t help but laugh a little.
You giggled alongside him, “What’s so funny?”
“You. Or uh, not you but um… Just how you were watching me. It was sweet,” he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
“Well how could I not?”
He looked over at you, “How could you not what?”
“How could I not watch the most gorgeous man in the world? You don’t usually get to relax like this, right? It’s nice to see you like this.”
Abel opened his mouth but no words came out. He should’ve been used to your compliments by now. Yet every single time it was like he was hearing a compliment for the first time in his life. Before he could respond, the attendants were back to take care of the two of you. You could see him watching you out of the corner of your eye the entire time. It was sweet.
Later, you brought him to your favorite lookout point. There was no real sense of day and night in Hell so you were worried the effect would be diminished slightly. That worry instantly went away when you saw Abel’s look. You patted the spot next to you so that he could sit down. From your vantage point, you could see all of Imp City and Pentagon City. The light twinkled beneath the two of you.
“Wow… I didn’t realize how pretty things looked from up here,” he mumbled.
“Well it’s not like many people tend to appreciate literal Hell. Granted I don’t love it like Charlie does…”
Abel looked over at you. The slight breeze passed through your hair. All he could look at was the lights of the city reflected back on you. Maybe you weren’t actually glowing but that was semantics. You were glowing to him. He reached over and pulled you into a kiss. Abel’s kisses were usually tender but you could feel the extra love coming from him. Your hand cupped his face as you kissed him back.
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Upon Abel’s return to Heaven the next day, he knew exactly what he was doing. He couldn’t get last night out of his mind. The way you looked. The fact that you chose the spa so that he’d feel more comfortable. Spending the night with you. Waking up to see you. Mornings in Heaven were beautiful but they could never compare to the way he felt seeing you that morning. It wasn’t his first time waking up with you but he still felt that flutter in his chest when he woke up before you and got to see your sleeping face.
The door to the usual Heaven conference flew open. Abel had made sure to message Emily and St Peter beforehand so that he wasn’t interrupting any important meetings with Sera about the state of Heaven. The only unexpected guest was Sir Pentious but he was quickly fitting into their group. It wasn’t exactly a shock that he was here anymore.
“Oh my gosh you guys!” Abel panted as he quickly flew into the room and took a spot at the table. Pentious was kind enough to close the door behind him.
“What happened? You sure look excited. Ooh! Don’t tell me! Did you two have a romantic night in and watch movies?” Emily was bouncing with almost as much excitement as Abel was.
Abel played with his hands, “Not exactly… But I realized something. I really wanna marry her. Is it bad that I want to marry a Hellborn demon?”
Pentious spoke up, “Well I don’t ssee why not. I thought things were going better with Hell.”
Emily sighed, “They are. Abel would you be able to split your time between Hell and Heaven more? We can’t exactly lose the commander of our army.”
“I do already, don't I? I promise I’ll still be here for you guys. But I need to be with her,” Abel smiled a little at the thought of you.
“Awww!” Emily flew over and gave him a giant hug. “We have to go ring shopping! I think I might know a place on The Promenade!”
Before either St Peter or Pentious could chime in again, they were off. Emily was rapid fire texting Charlie about Abel’s plans and what kind of ring she thought you would like. Abel was a bit embarrassed looking over and seeing dozens of texts about his relationship but that was just how Charlie and Emily were.
The ring shop wasn’t too far away, thankfully. The cherub behind the counter happily greeted them and started listing off their new arrivals and what might look interesting. Abel was a bit overwhelmed at the sheer amount of different rings he could choose from. It really was a good thing he didn’t go alone. Between the bands and the gemstones there must have been hundreds of rings, at least to Abel.
Maybe it was the cherub going on about how lucky he was, the amount of selection, or even Emily constantly getting overexcited about each ring, Abel could feel a panic attack coming on. The air just didn’t seem to find his lungs. The door looked farther even as he got closer. A little bell was what told him he was back outside. His arms wrapped around himself as he sat down on the ground outside the shop.
Was this too quick? What if you didn’t even want to get married? He couldn’t lose you after all of this. Should he wait? But what if you thought he didn’t want to get married. Then he could potentially lose you that way-
A calm hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to find Emily looking apologetic. She moved to sit down next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Abel calmed his breathing enough to not panic.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve realized it was a bit too much. I just got so excited that you were finally marrying her,” Emily looked away.
“It’s okay Em. You were just trying to help. I’m just worried. What if she doesn’t even want to get married to me. The leader of the exorcists isn’t exactly Hell marriage material.”
She scooted closer to Abel, “That’s not true. Abel you’ve been together for five years. She loves you more than you realize. I mean… Here. Look at what Charlie’s been telling me.”
Abel took the phone from Emily to look over the messages. It was definitely them judging from all the caps and exclamation marks about how excited they were. In between the early wedding planning were messages from Charlie talking about how excited you’d been that Abel was spending so much time in Hell and how much you missed him whenever he was away. There were also messages talking about how you’d mentioned a proposal before but got too nervous to keep talking to Charlie (which she sent many crying emojis about).
“I promise she’ll love your proposal. You never know until you do, right?” Emily smiled at him.
Abel handed her back the phone, “You’re right. I just have to try. Now let’s go find a ring!”
The real ring shopping took longer than he expected. The rings were gorgeous but he needed high standards for a ring fitting for you. Ultimately he decided that the best choice was to find another ring for when you actually got married. The proposal ring he ended up with was a gorgeous silver band with a small diamond on top. Abel still didn’t feel satisfied but he couldn’t spend more hours there than he already had.
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Planning the proposal was a beast in of itself with his standards. Did he want people there? Should it be a big deal? Those ideas were quickly scrapped when he realized how overwhelming it would be for both of you. You could always celebrate with friends later. Location was admittedly easier. It had to be in Hell. He did freak out a little at the possibility of choosing the wrong place to propose. That was until he remembered where you took him for your anniversary date. You’d already shown him a place with a perfect view of the city.
Charlie and Vaggi helped him plan the whole thing. He originally went to just Charlie because she’d know places in Hell but her ideas were just a bit too over the top for him. Vaggi was there to make sure the plans were actually realistic. So instead of a firework show announcing his love, Abel was just going to take you out for a nice meal and go to the lookout spot for a secluded proposal. He wasn’t picky on the restaurant but Charlie made sure he got reservations at a really nice restaurant. More privileges of being the princess and all.
The days before the proposal were the most nervous he’d felt in a long time. He knew how much you loved him but would you even say yes? It took multiple trips to the petting zoo and discotheque for him to feel better about the whole ordeal. It wasn’t like you didn’t love him but the same fears he had before kept popping up. It was easy to get lost in his thoughts.
The only clue he’d given you about what he planned was that you needed to dress nice and potentially get your nails done. For some people this meant a proposal. But Abel did sappy shit all the time. It was really hard to tell if it was a special occasion or if he just wanted to spoil you again. Whatever it was, you made sure to wear a sleek black dress that showed off all of your curves and got your nails done a pretty golden to match his eyes.
Abel picked you up outside of your apartment building. He looked amazing wearing a robe with black and pink accents. Even his usual hat was decorated a little differently. He held his hand out for you to take. Once you did, the two of you were off flying. You had to follow him since he was the one who had everything planned out for the night. Abel stopped in front of the nicest restaurant in Pentagram City. The line looked like it stretched on for miles. Abel walked up and tried to do his best to be confident while looking at the imp in front of him.
“I have a reservation at six for Morningstar?”
You were about to cut in with your actual names but the imp just nodded and got you two seated in a secluded area of the restaurant. Abel pulled the chair out for you before moving to his own. When the menus were put down, all you could look at was how expensive everything was. Across the table, Abel looked incredibly nervous. You reached over and took his hand.
“Hey is everything okay? You know you don’t have to spoil me.”
He blinked as he was snapped out of his thoughts, “Huh? Oh! No, I want to do this angel. I want to show you how much I love you.”
Adorable.
Dinner was very peaceful. You were surprised at the lack of shouting or fire from elsewhere in the building. Though it could very well just be happening in the kitchen instead. You wanted to ask about the reservation being under Morningstar but the waiter came with your food before you could ask. By the time you were done, you had forgotten the question.
Abel walked with you out of the restaurant and you could see him getting more and more nervous. You squeezed his hand gently to reassure him. He couldn’t help but smile and lean down to kiss you. Your other hand came up and lightly touched his cheek. The kiss was all the reassurance he needed that he wanted to go through with this proposal.
He scooped you up into a bridal carry and took off to where he had remembered the lookout point being. Your arms were wrapped tightly around his neck while your head buried into his chest. Having him hold you instead of flying there yourself felt so much more intimate. Abel always held you so tight when he was carrying you. It was like he was afraid to break you. His hold was so loving that you almost fell asleep in his arms.
You almost did too. His soft landing is what told you that your little flight was over. You looked around to see the lookout spot you’d taken him to a few months back. Except now there was a small blanket set up with little lights around it. They floated around and lit up the patchy grass around the two of you. The soft golden glow of the lights highlighted how amazing Abel looked against the backdrop of the city.
“Okay I know you have something planned so spill. What’s the big surprise?” you gave him a soft smile.
His eyes went wide, “What? I don’t- How’d you know?”
“Honey. Look around us. And you told me to dress nice. So what’s going on?”
Abel blushed a deep red before adjusting his collar, “Okay. Um… You know how much I love you. I never thought I would fall for anyone. And never a succubus. But you’re different! Um, you’re really sweet and even though I have to be in Heaven often you always wait for me. I didn’t know how I’d keep going after the whole dating my dad thing but somehow you were worth it.”
As he talked, what was going on dawned on you. Your mouth was open a bit in shock. No words could really come out. Abel looked so nervous as he kept going on about how amazing you were. Just as you expected, he got on one knee and held up a small box with a ring inside.
“I know it’ll be hard but will you marry me? I really want to make this work.”
Abel was taken aback by you suddenly hugging him. You had to blink back tears so that you didn’t ruin your makeup.
“Obviously yes! I can’t believe it took you this long to ask!”
Abel hugged you back before pulling you into a kiss. He slowly slid the ring onto your finger. It was beautiful. The silver band would look perfect with all of your outfits. You couldn’t help but stare at it.
“I can’t wait to tell everyone,” you said softly.
“Well some people might already know…” Abel mumbled.
You looked up at him, “Like who?”
“Charlie and Emily. And Vaggi. Peter and Pentious too.”
You sighed, “Charlie and Emily probably told everyone already, didn’t they?”
“Probably.”
At least they hadn’t started blowing up your phone yet. For now, you could take the time to watch the city lights with your fiancé.