You knew you could ask Abel for anything and he'd give it to you. A snack? He already had one ready. A small song? Just name the tune. Help winning an arcade game? He wouldn't be good but he could try. He was the most loving, doting person in the world. You couldn't even remember the last time you two had an argument or even a disagreement. It really was sweet how much he would do to make your afterlife as perfect as possible.

In fact, he was so sweet you rarely - if ever - saw the side of him where he was actually upset with you. The only time you saw him genuinely put his foot down was when he confronted Lute for attacking Vaggi. And seeing that did something to you. It made you want to see it more. Seeing him put Lute in line had been on replay in your mind for months ever since. It had given you a few ideas that you didn't know if you would actually act on.

But the fantasy was there. You knew he'd never be rough but you could imagine how good it'd feel for your sweet boyfriend to pin you down and force you to listen. If you didn't do something about this fantasy it was going to drive you crazy. So you came up with your brilliant plan to be brattier than usual. You've teased him before but this was going to be the real deal. If everything went according to plan, his newfound confidence would mean he'd actually put you in place.

That's how the whole day went. You wore an outfit that showed off everything Abel loved to look at. Granted, he loved everything you wore but you knew this outfit would especially tease him. His face went bright red the second you walked out of the bedroom. It was as if the only thing his eyes could look at was you. Normally you'd ask him what he thought but today you just walked past to make breakfast as if it was any normal outfit.

"You, uh, wowzers. You look amazing in that," he stammered as his gaze followed you around the room.

You had to hold back your smile as you turned to face him, "Do I? I just threw it together. Honestly I might go change-"

"Please don't!" Abel cut you off.

"And why not?" you feigned innocence.

He mumbled something about how pretty you are and left it at that. It was cute how nervous he still got even after you'd been together for so long. The small tent in his robe was obvious but you couldn't do anything about it if you wanted your plan to work. The thought of what he'd be doing to you later was enough to make you drool.

Beforehand you two had made plans today to hang out with Pentious, Emily, and Peter. The group always went on picnics so you had suggested going to the small cafe you occasionally visited. Originally it had just been because you didn't want to sit on the ground and fuck up your back. Now it was a great opportunity to tease your poor boyfriend. You made sure to sit right next to him and rest your hand right on his thigh. He was so focused on you that he didn't even realize that the waiter had come to ask for your orders.

"Hey Pentious," you pretended to ignore how Abel was watching you.

He looked up from his tea, "Yesss?"

"You look really nice today! I especially love your little bow tie."

A small pink dusted his cheeks, "Why thank you. I did my best to, er, dresss nicely."

"They're right! How come I never noticed how adorable your outfit is?" Emily chimed in.

Abel wasn't a jealous person. He was more than okay with you complimenting your friends or even the usual playful flirting. But it had been worth a shot. Looking over at him, it seemed to be working too. He seemed a bit more pouty than he had before. Abel cheered up once food finally arrived at the table. Despite your food not being that sexual looking, you still made a small show of eating it for your boyfriend.

After the brunch outing, you dragged him along with you to go to the discotheque. Sure it was a bit early but it was all a part of the plan. His bulge was more obvious than it was this morning which only made it more exciting for you. The club wasn't too busy yet but it was busy enough for it to be hot, loud, and a little cramped. You hated coming here but you had to remind yourself of how worth it this all was.

So you danced with Abel for too many songs to count. When it seemed like he was getting really into the music you would grind against him a little just so the focus was always on you and how pent up he was getting. It was a miracle you were able to make it through as many songs as you did because you were sweating by the time you two were done.

"We should get ice cream. I'm boiling right now," you pouted.

"Why don't we go home and we can cool down a little there?"

"But I really want ice cream. It was so hot in there."

Abel sighed, "Okay. Let's go get some."

You beamed at him. This was going to take awhile. He was so patient with you that this was turning out to be harder than you thought. The ice cream shop was pretty far away so maybe he'd get upset having to go that far? If he was, he didn't show it. Just paid for ice cream and smiled. It was bothering you more than you thought it would. Were you just bad at this? Maybe you should've stopped with this dumb plan sooner. Abel must've noticed how upset you were once you got home because you could hear him sigh.

"What's wrong? I thought we were having a nice day."

"We are! I'm fine."

"You're clearly not. Tell me what's bothering you."

"There's nothing bothering me. We're hanging out, how could I be upset?"

"Angel-"

"I'm okay. I mean it's nothing, really. There's literally nothing to be mad at-"

"(Y/N). Stop. What's going on? You've been acting weird all day."

Busted. Your cheeks went red as you looked down at your hands out of embarrassment. Of course he noticed how different you were acting. Hearing it worried him… You wanted this stern tone from him, and it was turning you on a little, but it wasn't how you wanted it to happen.

"I… I dunno…"

He sighed, "I want to help. Please?"

It all came spilling out. The fight in Hell, how hot he was finally standing up to Lute, how you'd been thinking about it for months, the plan, everything. With every confession, his face turned a darker shade of red. Once you were finished you felt like dying. It sucked having to admit to your little plan and it sucked more to admit it failed because he was just too nice. The silence was deafening. All you could think about was how he probably hated you for trying to goad him into being rough with you.

His lips meeting yours was a pleasant surprise. Even after admitting all of that he was still so gentle with you. Abel never failed to be an absolute sweetheart. It was one of the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place after all. He pulled away after a few minutes to look at you.

"You could've just asked. Why'd you come up with this whole elaborate plan?"

You sighed, "I dunno. Thought it'd make it hotter?"

Abel gave a small smile, "I think it can be hot without you having to uh, mess with me. If you want to try something I want to do it for you!"

"You're so nice to me. I'm sorry I should've just asked," you mumbled.

He pulled you into a slightly rougher kiss, "Well you did sorta rile me up. So maybe I can, um, still do that for you?"

The excitement on your face was evident. His lips were back on yours before you could say anything. One of his arms wrapped around your waist to pull you into him. You tried to pull him closer but he moved your hands away. When you gave a small whine, he just nipped at your bottom lip. Your gasp gave him the opportunity to slip his tongue in your mouth and taste the ice cream you'd had.

It didn't take long for him to start leading you back into the bedroom. You didn't even notice until the bedroom door closed behind you. Before you could get your hands on him, he managed to get your top and bra off instead. Even though you'd never wore this outfit before he somehow knew exactly how to get it off of you. He'd probably been thinking about it all day. One of his hands gently cupped your chest. His hands were calloused from years of honing his craft as a musician.

"I've been thinking about this all day. I know you were messing with me at the cafe earlier. And at the discotheque," he gave a soft laugh.

You hummed as you squirmed in his grasp, "Can you blame me? You give such good, ah, reactions."

Getting out words was hard when he was playing with your sensitive nipple. Abel knew exactly how to work your body so it wasn't a surprise that he knew how to make you shiver. The look in his eyes told you he wasn't lying about having thought about it all day. Thinking about what he could've possibly been thinking about made you feel more turned on than you already were - if that was possible. He gently kissed your chest. As soon as you made any kind of noise, he pulled away.

Then he moved back in to kiss at your chest and do it all over again. You could feel how worked up you were getting just from his light teasing. Your thighs tried to clench together to relieve the heat between your legs but it didn't do anything to help. All it did was draw Abel's attention to how needy you were beginning to get. He blushed a little before trying to get back into character. All he wanted to do was give in and taste you but he forced himself to keep going.

When your little whines became more frequent, he guided you to the bed so that he could start kissing down your body. He always gave a little extra attention to your tummy because he loved it so much. Not just because it was your tummy but because he loved the way you blushed as you watched him.

Your shorts were the next to come off but your panties stayed on. It was already obvious how wet you were through the thin fabric. Abel couldn't help staring for a second. He had to force himself to give the attention to your thighs instead. His kisses were light. Just enough for you to feel and need more of but not enough to satisfy how badly you needed him. His hands held your legs apart so that he had as much access as he needed.

It felt like ages that he was giving attention to your thighs. His bites were slightly rougher than usual but not by much. At this point was usually when he'd move onto his favorite part. But today he skipped it. Abel could tell from your pout that you were slightly disappointed so he made sure to press a light kiss to the outside of your panties. You were wetter than he'd thought. It made him lick his lips despite how hard he was trying not to give into you.

"Abel please? I've been so excited for it," you begged.

He shook his head, "You wanted me to put my foot down so I'm gonna do it. Which means… Which means not tonight. Um, is that okay?"

Even now he was being so loving and considerate.

"It's okay sweetheart. Even if I really want you to eat me out," you pouted again.

Your boyfriend just laughed a little. He finally took his robe off. It was everything you'd been waiting for. No matter how many times you saw his body it was gorgeous every single time. Whatever bulge you'd seen before was now even more obvious. Your mouth watered at the sight. You sat up so that you could watch him undress properly. His cheeks still went pink as you watched. When his boxers came off, he nervously looked over at you. It was cute how he was still so nervous with you.

Nonetheless he cleared his throat, "Can you come closer?"

You obediently got off the bed and got on your knees in front of him. Abel quickly grabbed a pillow for your knees. The first time you'd ever given him a blowjob he'd noticed how red your knees were afterwards and never let himself forget a pillow after that. One of his hands gently played with your hair to guide you forward. The taste of him was just as good as you'd remembered. His tip was already leaking precum into your mouth.

Abel had more girth than length which was more than okay for you. His length wasn't horrible either. He was so gorgeous slightly whimpering for you. He was trying so hard not to push your head down despite how good your tongue felt on him. Luckily for him you took in more willingly. A small moan left his lips when he looked down at you. It was almost enough for him to cum right then and there. Somehow he managed to hold on for a little while longer.

The hand in your hair started to hold a bit tighter. Your tongue licked up the precum on his tip before moving down to taste the rest of him. It wasn't often that you got to taste him instead so you wanted to savor the feeling while it lasted. Abel's face always scrunched up when he tried to hide how much it was affecting him to have you suck him off. Little whimpers of your name came from him as he got closer to finishing.

He didn't even have time to warn you before he was cumming. Not that you minded too much. You swallowed what you could and wiped the rest off of your mouth. His eyes were watching you the entire time. He waited for you to be done before helping you up and kissing you. The taste of him was all over your lips. You couldn't help but moan into the kiss and try pulling him closer. He only gave in to this because he needed you as close as possible.

The two of you slowly made your way onto the bed again. Abel had to remind himself to pull away so that you didn't just make out the entire night. His finger played with the waistband of your underwear before pulling them fully off. You were soaked. It was obvious before he undressed you and it was obvious now. Still, he made sure to add a little extra lube to make sure you'd be comfortable.

As soon as he slid in it was everything you'd wanted. Your legs hooked around his waist to keep him against you. Abel slowly pulled out before pushing back in again. He couldn't help his whimper when your walls clenched tight around him. His face buried in your neck as he began to pick up his pace. It was hard to concentrate on much of anything besides how good it felt to have him buried in you.

Abel started to kiss every inch of your neck that he could. You held him as tight as you could to ground yourself but that didn't even seem to work. His hands dug into your sides to keep you closer to him. Alongside his kisses, Abel kept muttering sweet nothings.

"My gorgeous angel. So good for me. Feel so good…"

It wasn't a shock that you came first and hard. You swore you saw stars. That always happened when you were with Abel though. He wasn't far behind you. It only took a few more thrusts for him to be cumming inside of you. You two laid there for a second, panting, before reluctantly moving to clean up. Abel was quicker than you and managed to grab a wet rag before you could get up.

"Was that okay? I felt bad not doing more for you," he sheepishly rubbed his neck.

You kissed his nose, "Actually I was thinking next time you could be a little more rough with me? Really put me in my place."

Abel looked surprised, "Wait rougher? Aw man I thought I did pretty good."

"You did!" You giggled, "But I think you can be a little meaner. Or at least more in charge."

He gave a small smile, "I can try."

Life on Earth was Hell. Which was ironic for someone like you, who was now literally trapped in Hell. You didn't really know how it happened. Things had been strange for awhile. It started with your parents arguing. They used to only argue after you were in your room at night. Then it was just when you weren't in the room. It didn't seem to take long before they were arguing in front of you. Did it take longer? All of your memories were still hazy.

The arguments they had in front of you always seemed worse than the arguments they used to have at night. The details never made sense to you. Mom always got mad at Dad for staying out too late and drinking. You didn't tell her how much fun it sounded to stay up as late as he did. When you did ask why she was mad once she told you to mind your fucking business. It was a bit of a confusing answer but you knew better than to ask more questions.

Things got better for a bit. Or at least you remembered things getting better. Mom and Dad weren't screaming at each other anymore. They even talked to you about school. The biggest difference was that you'd started going to church. But it wasn't church like your friends went to. It felt strange. Never quite safe. When you first went you only recognized one family. The mom had been on the news after your old teacher Mrs. Mayberry had tried to kill her.

But they stopped showing up eventually. You heard adults whispering about demons coming to take them but that couldn't be true. Ms. Martha was always so nice to you. You knew demons wouldn't take a family as nice as them. Your parents seemed more shaken than you were though. That only confused you more. You knew that they didn't need to worry because they were always going to church.

Church on Sundays turned into church all weekend which turned into church nightly. You didn't mind so much. Mom and Dad got to talk to the adults while you were able to play fun games with the other kids. All themed around what church had taught you that day about Satan. It didn't seem right but the adults had to know what they were talking about. Mom and Dad believed it so you did too.

Things took a bad turn after that. You didn't understand why. Church was supposed to be helping. It was helping. But you noticed a new look whenever your parents looked at you. What they were thinking was hard to say. It felt like ages ago even though you knew it had only been a few weeks. It wasn't quite glee but it looked similar. Excitement maybe. It must've been a surprise for you.

They called you into the backyard that night. Your town was small. Secluded. Trees surrounded every house like their own personal forest. You'd always felt scared in the backyard because the darkness was suffocating. But it wasn't that night. There were so many candles. If you were a bit older you might have worried about fire safety with how many trees were around.

It wasn't just your parents in the backyard. You couldn't tell who else was there, just that they were from church. They stood in a circle like they were about to play a game. Their faces were all obscured by masks that looked like what you'd wear on Halloween but that was still months away. Maybe it was part of their game? You wanted to say hi but something told you they didn't feel like talking. Everyone's eyes bore down at you as you crossed through the glass door into the night.

Your mom approached you. You could tell it was her by the sound of her voice guiding you to stand in the center of the circle. What happened next was the most hazy part of it all. There was something on the floor. A star? You couldn't recall. Everyone from the church started to say a prayer but it didn't sound like the praying you heard from your other friends at school. You hadn't joined in the prayer. Normally your mom told you if you should join but she didn't say anything after you were in the circle.

The next thing you remembered was screaming. Lots of it. Had it really only been yours? Your skin felt like it was on fire. Maybe it was. All you knew was that it hurt. Everything did. You tried screaming for your mom. Your dad. Anyone. It took them too long to stop. By the time they did, you were already losing consciousness. Someone called your name but it didn't sound like your parents. You couldn't tell if they had actually stopped.

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That was the last thing you remembered. The memories of it still swirled and mixed around in your head. It was hard to piece things together. It was only made worse when you woke up in an entirely new place. It didn't look anything like your backyard or even your town. There were people but they weren't people. You ran and hid as quick as you could. It was so much all at once.

Hiding was really all you could think to do at the moment. Everyone you saw looked monstrous. Sharp teeth and claws were everywhere. If you weren't afraid of strangers already, you were now. Hot tears ran down your cheeks and stung your skin. Every little noise made you jump in terror. No one was there to help.

"Mommy… Daddy… Please I need you. Please," you choked out.

You didn't even know if anyone would find you. The hiding spot you chose was just hidden enough that you could see everyone passing by and ignoring the sounds of your sobs. Whenever you heard someone getting closer, it was usually just a few minutes before they were back on their way. The nonstop crying was exhausting but your brain didn't know what else to do. The fear and the pain were getting to you all at once.

A soft hand on your shoulder quickly pulled you out of it. You started to panic before the woman in front of you knelt down to reveal a normal looking person. She looked kind but you still scooted away from her when she tried to move closer. You had to look at terrified as you felt because she stayed where she was and just held out a hand.

"I'm not here to hurt you. Promise."

Clearly you weren't convinced. She took her hand back to instead rummage in her pocket for some bandages. She held them up to try and show you that she really wanted to help you. You looked between the woman and the bandages. This was the first time an adult had really offered to help you ever. It took a few minutes before you reached out your burned arm.

Except it wasn't as burned as you thought it would be. Honestly you hadn't been paying much attention to what was on your arms just that it hurt. Instead of burns were marks in the shape of whatever other symbols your parents and the church had used. Immediately you started crying again. The woman panicked a little and went to move close again.

"It's okay! You're okay. My name is Charlie. I'm here to help you," she gave a gentle smile. "What's your name?"

You didn't respond. Even if you could find it in you to speak, this was still a stranger. Charlie didn't seem to mind you staying quiet though. She just held her hand out again.

"I'll make sure to take care of you. Okay?"

You looked at her hand for a while. If she wanted to hurt you she would've done so already right? Your small hand reached out and took hers. Charlie gently squeezed your hand and started to walk with you. Everything around you still felt just as terrifying as when you first arrived. But being with an adult made things feel so much safer.

Everyone stared as you walked by. You moved closer to Charlie every time it seemed like someone was getting too close to you. Eventually she just started talking to you about everything and nothing all at once. You couldn't gather most of what she said besides that you were going to stay at her hotel. It should've scared you but you got the sense that you could trust her.

The hotel you arrived at looked really nice from the outside. The lights were a little too bright for your eyes so you didn't look at it for long. Charlie ushered you inside pretty quickly. The first person you saw looked like a giant cat. Your eyes went wide. The cat must've noticed because he scowled and mumbled something before leaving as quick as possible.

A woman with an x over her eye approached Charlie. You eyed her while they talked. You could hear them talk about "that kid" so you knew it was about you. It felt weird having people talk about you without yelling at each other for once. You shifted between your feet as they talked. Once they were done talking, the second woman sighed. She looked down at you and gave a smile similar to the one Charlie had given you earlier.

"Hey there. I'm Vaggi. What's your name?" She continued when you didn't respond, "We're gonna help you out okay? Can I see your arm?"

Something about her demeanor felt calming enough that you held out your arm for her. She didn't touch it out of respect for you. Her eyes just narrowed as she looked at the patterns across it. When she did reach out, she pulled her hand away before it got too close.

"I think we should ask Lucifer. I've never seen this before," she looked up at Charlie.

That made you burst into tears. You'd heard the name Lucifer before but only when talking about evil itself. The trust you had in her wasn't quite enough to challenge the ideas you were raised with. The people you'd seen on the way over were terrifying, Actual Lucifer had to be much scarier and that thought mad you cry even harder. Charlie immediately knelt down to try to calm you down.

"No no no! It's okay! Uh, he's not as bad as he seems. Really!"

Vaggi looked a little uncomfortable but still tried her best, "He can be nice. Uh, he likes ducks! Kids like ducks right?"

You sniffled a little and nodded. She sighed in relief.

"We'll be right there. Promise," Vaggi gave you another soft smile.

You moved to walk next to Vaggi. Her steps were a little slower than Charlie's which made it easier for you to keep up with her. Neither of them were talking but they kept glancing at you to make sure you were doing okay. The door the stopped in front of was giant, at least in your eyes. It didn't help the unease you were feeling. Charlie knocked on the door a few times.

As the door creaked open you could feel yourself starting to shake in fear. Out of instinct, you went to hide behind Charlie. You didn't know how you pictured Lucifer looking. But the short man in a ducky sweater wasn't even in the scope of possibilities until you saw him. You giggled a little at the numerous ducks stuck to him. He looked at you and then back at Charlie.

"You gonna tell me why there's a kid here? It's not yours is it?" Lucifer motioned at you.

"Not exactly. Dad, meet… Well they have a name but they haven't said anything yet. I found them earlier by themselves and they have these weird marks on their arms. We were hoping you might be able to help?"

Seeing Lucifer now made you feel a little less scared. He didn't seem so much like he was going to kill you when he still had a rubber duck nuzzled in his sweater. You held one of your arms out for him to inspect. He moved close to take a good look but as soon as he saw the marks his eyes went wide.

"Uh, Charlie, dear, can I talk to you for a minute. Privately?"

She went with him inside the room to talk. Before she closed the door, she gave you a quick smile. Once they were in the room, you moved closer to Vaggi and took her hand in yours. She looked surprised but didn't move her hand away.

"(Y/N). That's my name," you mumbled.

"That's a nice name. You know-"

A loud "WHAT?!" cut through the air. Charlie slammed the door open and looked around until she found you. Her eyes immediately began watering.

"You poor baby! How could someone do that to you? I mean you're so cute and, and…" she sobbed.

"What exactly is going on? I mean they don't exactly look like a sinner," Vaggi's hand tightened around yours.

Lucifer sighed, "In nicer terms… they're cursed. They're not dead but they can't go back to Earth anymore either."

You moved to hold onto Vaggi. Your arms still hurt to touch but it didn't really matter to you right then. All you could think about was how you never even got to say goodbye to your parents. What happened in the first place didn't even make sense. It was all so much to take in all at once.

Charlie looked over at Vaggi as she was struggling to comfort you, "What if we take them in? We can't just leave them alone out there."

"I guess we could. Are we ready for that?"

"We've faced worse," Charlie moved to level with you. "How hard can it be?"

Lucifer laughed from behind her before trying to cover it with a cough, "You have no idea. Look, kid, if it helps. Those marks? They won't hurt for much longer. I promise."

Vaggi moved to have you look at her and Charlie, "For now why don't we put some bandages on them. We have plenty of first aid supplies. Right babe?"

"Right! I'll go grab some, uh, gauze maybe?" she shrugged a little.

"Just something to disinfect it should be good."

The last thing Adam remembered was the fight at that shitty hotel. Of course Lucifer's daughter called him up to fight the battle for her. Everyone there was going to die if he hadn't shown up to save them from Adam's awesome death rays. The worst part wasn't his girls getting killed or being beat up by Lucifer. No. The worst part wasn't even when that pesky little sinner stabbed him in the back, literally.

The actual worst part came after that. He woke up in Hell. At first he thought it was some kind of dream brought on by his injuries. He'd lost a lot of blood in the fight at the hotel so it would be expected that his dreams turned out weird afterwards. Adam's dream theory went out the window after a few hours though. Heaven had actual divine miracles, he wouldn't be in this bad a state for long if it were a dream.

In the time since then he'd been able to make a meager living for himself. Nothing compared to the extravagance he was used to after centuries in Heaven. He missed his pad. He missed his band. He missed his army. He missed Lute. Adam couldn't believe he actually missed more than just his stuff but he did. Now instead of being the respected leader of Heaven's army, he was relegated to being a bartender in some rundown casino. Adam doubted anyone would even know the name of the place.

At night all he did was drink. Booze became his closest friend. Sure he could try to make friends but he was Adam damn it. The first man! That had to mean something! At least it should've meant he didn't have to become friends with disgusting sinners. Though, if he thought about it to too long, he was one of them now. It wasn't an easy pill to swallow. Which is why he drowned out those kinds of thoughts with booze.

As he got home from another rough shift where he made entirely too little, he sat and turned on the TV to 666 News. None of the news really interested him. How could it when it was usually about another stupid overlord. Adam never cared about what the denizens of Hell got themselves up to. He really only watched because he enjoyed what a bitch Katie Killjoy was. Even if she sucked up to whichever overlord was in charge. It was always so obvious.

He wasn't expecting anything good. Usually it was just background noise for him while he wallowed in his misery. But this got his attention. That stupid fucking hotel was getting more attention than ever. Even hellborn demons were starting to work for them. For what? Being the biggest losers in all three realms? Normally this would just piss him off. Hearing anything about the hotel always did.

But on the video, in a small grainy corner, were yellow wings. His son's yellow wings. Sure Adam hadn't actually talked to his son in ages, but he at least knew what he looked like. If Abel was at that shitbox hotel he needed to find out why. Tomorrow, though, because he was already too drunk to go anywhere. Adam passed out without noticing the succubus tail entering the hotel right behind Abel.

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"Wait you guys all knew?"

Husk looked over at Charlie, "Who do you think told us?"

To her credit, she hadn't said anything. Anytime she'd felt like talking about how excited she was for you and Abel, she'd talked to Emily or Vaggi. Unfortunately she also wasn't exactly subtle about what she was hiding. Nor was she quiet when she talked about something she was passionate about.

"I didn't say anything. To them. Necessarily…" she nervously laughed. "But I couldn't just hold it in! It's a big deal!"

She ran over to give you a giant hug. It was so tight you felt like she was going to choke you out. She was almost more excited than you were if her hug was anything to go off of. You had to pry her off of you so that you could keep talking to everyone else. Niffty had made her way over to Abel and you could tell how nervous he was getting at any of the attention being on him.

"Do you have a theme? Are you gonna have the wedding soon? Can my roach band play?" Her eye got wider after every question.

"No. I don't think so. You have a roach band?" Abel was trying to keep up with the barrage of questions but after every answer he gave, she had 5 more.

You walked over to Niffty, having to bend down slightly, "Hey Nif I think I heard a guest up in room 26 said they have some rats that need taking care of."

She sped off pretty quickly after that. Abel sighed in relief as she sped off excitedly to kill the rats. You giggled at how eager she always was to stab anything in sight. Getting Niffty to go clean wasn't even the end of getting questioned. They all had various questions about what the wedding would be like and how the proposal went. Husk seemed to be the only person who didn't have anything to add.

As they were questioning you, a small imp nervously came up to Charlie, "There's someone outside who wants to speak with you. He says it's urgent."

"Is it really urgent? I'm a little busy," she pouted a little.

The only thing that got her to leave was Vaggi agreeing to go with her. You tried to keep talking but soon enough there was loud shouting from outside. It was hard to make anything out but swears and insults. The voice of who you assumed was the sinner sounded familiar but you couldn't quite place it.

Abel was kind enough to volunteer to check and went to go see what could possibly be going on. He wouldn't get involved but maybe he could still help Charlie? At first all he saw was a random sinner demon arguing with Vaggi with a bite she reserved for people she really hated. As he got closer, his eyes went wide as if he'd seen a ghost. He stumbled a bit but his legs somehow forced him to move closer to where they were.

"Dad?"

The sinner looked over at Abel and gave a wide shit eating grin, "See? There he is! Was it really so hard to just tell me he was here?"

Adam walked over to Abel and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Even now he was still a bit taller than his son. Abel had to look up at him to see his face and what he looked like now that he was in Hell. He looked so different but similar at the same time. It was as if no time had passed and yet the gray in Adam's much longer hair said otherwise. Abel opened his mouth but no words came out.

"See? Speechless. I knew he'd wanna see his old man."

Tears pricked at Abel's eyes and ran down his face. It was too small for Adam to notice just yet. Not that he would have given how he was preoccupied in his argument with Vaggi. Abel's body tensed up as Adam pulled him in closer. What started as small tears turned into soft sobs. He pushed Adam away from him. The pissed off look on Adam's face just made him back away more.

Nothing was getting through to him. Any words went in one ear and right out the other. Abel's eyes were focused on the man in front of him. The man he never thought he'd see again. The man who was gone for years. The man who was supposed to love him at one point. Thee man he loved at one point. The man who raised him. The man who hurt him.

The shock wasn't setting in yet. Everyone could tell from the way Abel was still sobbing and clutching his sides. Charlie stepped forward but Adam moved first. And he looked pissed.

"Didn't think to tell your dad you were hanging out with demon scum huh? I thought you'd know better than to be around the fucking enemy," he spat.

"They're… They're not…" Abel tried to force out the words.

"Not what? The enemy? Bullshit. They're demons. You might think they can change but they can't. None of them can."

Inside, you were starting to get worried. Abel had been outside for a while. You couldn't hear the loud arguing but if things were resolved, he'd be back with you by now. The first thing you saw was your fiancé on the verge of a panic attack. You ran over to him but he opened up a portal to Heaven before you could make it. The golden glow of the portal disappeared right as you reached out your hand. All of your worry turned into fury at whoever made him feel that way.

The sinner was standing there. You could feel your fury as your tail whipped around behind you. It was taking everything in you not to rip him to shreds. He had this stupid look on his face that made you want to kill him in such brutal ways even other demons would be shocked. If looks could kill, he'd be dead one thousand times over.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are? You come to this hotel just for what? To start a fucking argument? Well guess what douche bag, I'm going to knock your ass… out…" you slowly stop as you take in more of the sinner's features.

He smiled, "Remember me?"

You folded your arms, "Yeah. I do. What are you doing here Adam?"

"Trying to talk to my son. Do I need permission from a random succubus to do that now?"

"Random succubus is a nice way to say his fiancé," you practically snarled at him.

Adam laughed right in your face, "Fiancé? Yeah right. Angels don't date succubus whores. And they definitely don't marry them. My son knows that."

"You know there's more to our love than just me being a succubus right? We actually love each other Adam. The same way I used to love you."

At this point Adam's usual grin dropped. You two still had a bit of an audience and he hadn't expected you to confront him at all, much less reveal that kind of information in front of people. You had thought he'd be pissed that you brought up your history but he just looked shocked.

"You seriously loved me?" Adam mumbled.

"Yeah. I really did. A lot of people have. But that was a long time ago. Leave me- leave us alone. You might be in Hell but that doesn't mean we want anything to do with you."

With that you finally took off. You could hear someone calling your name but you didn't care about any of that right now. You had to get back to the apartment. If Abel was back up in Heaven, you had to hope he'd be back in your shared space soon. He always made sure to talk to you when he was going through things so he couldn't stay away in Heaven for long.

As you flew back home, you called him over and over. It always went to voicemail. Your texts weren't marked as read so at least you couldn't say he was ignoring you. You sighed. Patience wasn't your strong suit.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

It took awhile before you were greeted with that familiar golden glow of his portal opening up. You didn't even think before you were running over to hold him. Your arms find their way around his shoulders and pull him in as close as you can. He wasn't crying anymore but you could still feel the tension in his body as he moved to hug you back. Abel's arms gently held your waist and pulled you against him.

After a bit, you could feel your shoulder starting to dampen as he began crying again. His grip got tighter as he sobbed harder. For a few minutes that's all you did. Held him while he cried about someone he thought he'd never see again. You didn't dare trying to pull away before you knew he was ready. Sure you hadn't seen or thought about Adam for eons before being with Abel but hearing about his supposed death still affected you. You couldn't imagine how Abel was feeling.

He slowly pulled away but kept his arms around you. His face looked like a mess from having just cried his eyes out. You wiped away a few of the stray tears still running down his face.

"Feeling a little better?" you asked gently.

"I guess?" He thought about it for a second, "No. I'm not. How do I deal with seeing my dead dad? Not dead dad? Ugh this is confusing."

"Anyone would be confused in this situation," you frowned and took his hands in yours.

"I know. You're right. It's just… There's so many things I feel all at once? I guess I should be relieved he's not dead but that just means I have to see him again. We could reconnect but he seems like he hasn't changed so I don't know if it would be better. Oh god do we have to invite him? I mean he's your ex and all-"

You cut him off with a small peck to his lips, "Abel. It's gonna be okay. Trust me. We'll figure it out. I'm here for you and nothing is changing that. You don't have to see your dad if you don't want to."

He sighed and rested his head in the crook of your neck, "I… How am I going to handle this?"

"The same way you always do. You've gone through so much already. I know we can get through this together. Why don't we go to bed? It's been a long day for both of us."

Abel just gave a small nod and followed you into the bedroom. You helped him to get into his pajamas that he always kept at the apartment with you. Honestly you couldn't remember the last time he spent the night in Heaven instead of with you. Normally he'd still look at you getting into your pajamas with a sense of awe like he was seeing your body for the first time. Tonight, though, he just quietly handed you your clothes and crawled into bed.

His arms came up to wrap around you the second you were in bed with him. Abel's face nuzzled into your skin. You moved to face him. He always looked exhausted but it seemed like the weight of seeing Adam was finally crashing down on him.

"Hey. I love you."

He just gave a soft smile and kissed you, "I love you too."

"Abel is a pushover" was something that got tossed around a lot. It wasn't that he couldn't stand up for himself. Just that he preferred to avoid conflict for as long as possible if he could help it. His pacifist tendencies meant that people made a lot of assumptions about him and your relationship. Especially when it came to the bedroom. Everyone was nice enough not to ask outright (except the occasional joke from Angel Dust).

You knew better though. Abel loved being on top. It was his way of showing how much he cared about you. And he really did love you. His absolute favorite thing was showing you how much he loved your body. He couldn't get enough of spoiling you in the bedroom. Even though you knew how much he loved being on top, you couldn't help but take everyone's comments to heart.

It wasn't like they were being mean. You knew that. But you were always the one being guided in the bedroom. With the jokes and looks you couldn't help but wonder if Abel would prefer to be doted on for once. You tried not to think about it. It did feel amazing when he was taking care of you. The thought that you could be doing more still crept in while you were with Abel no matter how much you tried to ignore it though.

It should've been easy to ignore. Abel was so good at spoiling you. He was kissing down your body so delicately it was as if he was afraid to hurt you just by touching your skin. His hands were on your sides, lightly squeezing. He always did that when he was kissing your body. Then he looked up at you with the most adoring look in the world. That was enough to remind you of everything you were trying to ignore.

Small tears started to mess with your vision. You tried to wipe them away before Abel noticed but he was already pulling you close to comfort you. The tears ran down your cheeks even though all you wanted was to get the crying to stop. Abel held you against him and gently kissed the top of your head.

"What's wrong? I didn't hurt you did I?" he gently wiped away your tears.

"No, no. It's not that. I don't think you could hurt me anyway," you gave a half hearted laugh.

"Then what's going on?"

You looked down at your hands, too embarrassed to look at him, "You're not disappointed that I never switch right?"

Abel seemed confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," you sighed and looked up at him. "I mean, you're not upset that you're always doting on me when I don't really do the same for you? I feel like I could be doing more to make things better for you."

"I'm not disappointed at all! I love being able to take care of you," he said as he kissed your cheek.

"You do? Why?"

You weren't convinced. He wasn't lying but you still couldn't believe Abel would be okay with always having to take care of you. Abel pulled you in closer to start tailing his kisses from your cheek down to your neck.

"I love it because I love you. I don't need you to switch and be on top," he emphasized his point by kissing you softly.

His arms wrapped around your waist as you two kissed. One of your hands moved to his cheek to keep him there. Abel shifted to have you underneath him. When you finally let him break the kiss, he moved to kiss your body again. He paid extra attention to the parts of your body you were the most insecure about. Your whimpers were keeping him going.

Once he got further down, he gently spread your legs to kiss your outer lips. Your face went bright red but that only made him go in for more. Abel's fingers traced along your thighs before making their way to dip into your core. The awestruck look on his face was too pretty to look away from. Abel always made that same face whenever he saw your face despite the countless times he's seen it by now.

"You always look so pretty angel. Why would I want to do anything else?"

Before you could respond, he licked a stripe through your folds. The moan you let out cut through any words you were trying to get out. He set your thighs on his shoulders so that he could get more of you. It was hard to keep up with how eager he was eating you out. His tongue was making sure to taste every inch of your slick.

Abel lifted up his head, "Doing okay up there?"

You nodded in response. Normally he'd get you to use your words but he knew you needed this. He moved back down to keep lapping up your wetness. You'd seen him eat ice cream on a hot day less feverishly than he did when he was eating you out. It felt just as amazing as it looked. Abel moved to suck on your clit. To replace his tongue, he slid two fingers inside of you and curled. You couldn't help but whine and grind against his face.

"You're doing so good. You look so pretty…" Abel mumbled against your folds.

It wasn't like you were paying too much attention to what he was saying anyway. His touch had you a mess underneath him. Your hands went to his hair and pulled slightly as you got closer. You'd probably feel insecure again later but for now all you were worried about was your boyfriend's lips on you.

"Abel. 'M so close…" you forced out.

"Please finish on my tongue angel. Please," he whined into your slick.

He moved from sucking on your clit to tease your entrance with his tongue. His fingers continued to slide in and out of you but the pace quickened. With his free hand, he went to rub your sensitive clit while his tongue was busy. All of it was just a little too much for your sensitive cunt.

Abel happily licked up your release while you came down from your high. Once you were cleaned up enough for him, he moved to kiss you. You could still taste yourself on his tongue.

"I promise I'm never disappointed that you let me do this instead of trying to switch. I love doing this. Really."

“Come on guys! You’re almost done!”

Your choreographer Emily was at the front of the room doing the moves along with you. She was always extra cheerful towards the end of practice. It got annoying occasionally but most of the time you were just glad to have a choreographer who wasn’t a dick. The moves weren’t exactly easy either. Being a bit bigger than the other members of your group made it even harder. You’d gotten extra coaching more than a few times. Emily was a saint and never made you feel bad for coming to her for help.

Adam, your manager, did make you feel bad for getting extra help. He wasn’t one to talk with how he treated his own body. He was constantly making comments about how “some people” need a little extra help. You’d caught him talking to your group members behind your back multiple times. His obnoxious eating and drinking while watching your group practice didn’t help you to retain anything.

“Yeah c’mon! You need to learn these moves before tonight! Especially you (Y/N),” he shouted between mouthfuls of food.

Getting out of there was your biggest motivation to memorize the choreo fully. Which, to your credit, you had memorized it. It just wasn’t up to “Adam quality.” Whatever that meant. Once the song was over, Emily let you all leave. You weren’t the only one who needed a break it seemed. The locker room was your first stop. You grabbed a few things out of your locker and immediately headed towards the showers.

On the way there, you were stopped by your group members. If you didn’t know any better you’d have sworn this was a scene out of a movie. Lute was in front of them. She’d always been the toughest on you. It was probably why Adam liked her the best.

“In a rush there?”

You gave a forced laugh, “Yeah. Rough practice today. I was going to take a shower-”

“It wasn’t that hard. I mean, I didn’t even break a sweat,” one of the other girls, Harper, cut in.

“She just struggles a bit is all,” Hope tried to be nice but it still came off as a backhanded compliment with the way the rest of the group laughed.

A sigh left your lips, “Look can I just shower? I’d rather not smell for the rest of the day.”

“If you must. See you tonight. If you’re not too busy hanging out with Vaggi,” Lute said as she walked off with the group. 

Hope gave you a look over her shoulder but otherwise kept walking. You didn’t blame her. The two of you had been close once, when Vaggi was still part of the group. Lute and Adam always found a way to target you three. Life was probably easier for her when she was kissing up to them. Since you still struggled you still got to be a target.

The hot water from the shower washed away the sweat and anger from that day’s practice. The steam helped to calm you. They couldn’t get in your head right before a major awards show. This performance was too important. You took a deep breath. Stressing wouldn’t help either. You’d been an idol long enough to know that. It was easy to get caught up in the work needed to do this that you almost forgot that you were going to get to celebrate at the awards show. Even if you didn’t win, you’d get to see how excited your fans were.

That put enough pep in your step to finish the shower and get changed for lunch. The awards show was much later in the day so you took the chance to wear something more comfortable while you could. You hadn’t expected anyone to wait for you either so you were doing good knowing that no one was going to bother you about how you did at practice.

A small cough brought you out of your thoughts. Your manager’s son, Abel, was standing outside of the building awkwardly. Most people would be nervous to see their manager’s son/intern standing and waiting for them. You, on the other hand, couldn’t be more glad. You walked over and gave him a big hug.

Abel was the polar opposite of his dad. He never made you feel shitty for messing up during a practice and was always helping out where he could. He’d been brought on soon after Vaggi left so you got attached pretty quickly. You didn’t notice his cheeks dusted a slight pink when you went in for the hug.

“Abel! I’m so glad you’re here. We’re still on for lunch right?”

“I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t. Where were you thinking?”

Your driver pulled up and held the door open for the two of you.

“Thank you Collin,” you smiled at him as you got into the car. “I was thinking we could go to that sushi place you wanted to check out!”

“We don’t have to! It’s probably not even that great,” he nervously laughed.

“I want to though! You’ve been gushing about it for weeks. You can’t just tell me how cool a place is and not let me go.”

Abel looked away to hide his blush, “If you insist.”

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

The sushi restaurant Abel recommended, much to your dismay, was much more popular than he’d realized. The line alone would’ve taken forever. Since you weren’t going to use the celebrity card to get in, the two of you just left. Abel was apologizing the whole time. You two ended up ordering some takeout and spending the next few hours gossiping in your hotel room.

“I still can’t believe we’re up against Vaggi’s new group. I haven’t seen her in ages,” you played with your food a little.

“I’ve, uh, heard about her? Her genre was… thrillers, right?”

You nodded, “Yeah. It was really surprising that she left to join such a cutesy group. Probably because they’re more relaxed. I can’t say I blame her.”

“You’re not planning on leaving are you?” Abel asked too quickly.

“As much as I think about it, I don’t think I could. I like what we do. I like our fans. And I wouldn’t be able to hang out with you as often!”

He looked away to hide his blush, which you somehow didn’t notice.

“I’m just glad she didn’t join the Vees. She never would with how much she hates them but it was such a relief.”

Abel nodded along. He’d never had the displeasure of meeting the Vees before. If you were nervous about performing, Abel was nervous about seeing them in person. All he had to go off of were their social media posts which were usually sexual. You looked up and noticed his eyebrows starting to furrow.

“Hey. You don’t have to talk to them. They usually avoid our group anyway,” you smiled softly at him.

“I guess. It’s not like we have to talk to everyone, right?”

“Exactly! It’ll be fine.”

You couldn’t tell if you were saying it more for him or for yourself. Awards shows felt more nerve wracking than a normal performance. The crowd would have plenty of your fans but there would be people there who aren’t fans that you had to impress. You took a breath to steady yourself. These shows happened all the time so it wouldn’t be too big a deal. Even if you didn’t end up winning an award, you would be happy to see your old friend.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

The night came quicker than you’d expected. You were in the dressing room with your group beforehand so that all of your outfits were perfectly coordinated. A hairstylist was behind you to make sure your hair was perfectly cut and styled. To maintain a theme, everyone’s hair was cut the same length. You envied other groups who had more creative freedom. At least you had some say in your outfit so that you would maintain your usual theme.

The outfits you all had on kept your signature colors of black, white, and the occasional red. Just for the awards show, each member had a symbol of their horror genre of choice. The sleeves of your top, for example, were the carpet pattern from The Shining. Lute wore a choker that looked like a Saw trap for her tribute. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Hope wearing the Blair Witch symbol and another member with a tribute to The Ring. You knew pictures of the outfits were bound to be all over social media by the end of the night.

Paparazzi for the event were going nuts as usual. It felt like hundreds of cameras were on you at once. The flashing was always on the verge of driving you crazy. You gave your best smile for the cameras. By now you'd have thought you'd be used to the spotlight but all it did was drive you crazy. At least you discomfort never showed on camera. Plenty of reporters were trying to shove their way to the front to talk to your group about the event.

An especially eager reporter made her way to the front,“Exxorcists! How are you feeling about the show tonight?”

Lute spoke up before anyone could answer, “We’re looking forward to it. In fact, we have a surprise for any of our fans who are tuning in tonight!”

You nodded behind her. It was doubtful that the cameras caught you with everyone else in front of you. Still, you kept smiling just in case. The interviewer complimented your outfits and kept asking questions mainly directed at Lute. She always looked so natural in the spotlight compared to the rest of the group. It didn't bother you as much as it used to. Soon enough the next people were walking down the carpet and your group was pushed along.

Backstage was more frantic than the red carpet. Assistants and stage crew were running all over to make sure everything was perfect for every performance. Vox was barking someone around who looked incredibly scared of him. When he scurried past, you gave him a smile of encouragement. Idols like Vox and the other Vees weren't the easiest to work with. You could tell they had big plans for their performance that night.

Whether for better or worse, your group wasn’t up first. The Vees were. You’d never actually seen them perform so part of you was looking forward to it out of curiosity. The lights dimmed as they took the stage. A techno beat thrummed in the background. Vox started singing first only to be joined by Valentino and Velvette. Their voices worked together so well. The blue lights overhead were soon joined by red and purple, though the blue overtook both of them. You rolled your eyes at the not so subtle metaphor.

The show was hard to watch from the side stage but you could tell their usual performance was toned down a lot for the awards show. Valentino seemed slightly upset during the show. You could tell because he gave the same expressions you did when Lute was hogging the spotlight. Velvette didn’t seem as bothered but she’d always been harder for you to get a read on. Vox was the one who was really shining through. He was a natural on stage in front of everyone.

Their performance ended which meant you were on next. You did one last check to make sure your mic was ready. Your heartbeat felt so loud that you could hear it. It was just another awards show but it somehow felt different. Maybe it was Adam reminding you over and over how perfect this performance had to be. Or the debut of your new single. It always made you a little nervous to make new music. The Vees exited the stage and walked right by you. The tension in the air was more than noticeable. Your groups had never gotten along. While everyone was cordial for the cameras, they were less than nice backstage.

Vox walked up first, “It’s going to be pretty hard to top a performance like that. Wouldn’t you say Velvette?”

“It’s already all over socials. We’ll probably end up winning like usual,” she grinned, barely looking up from her phone screen.

Lute’s hands started turning into fists by her sides, "You fuckers don't deserve that win. You haven't worked nearly as hard as we have."

"Aw afraid you might lose?" Valentino came up besides Velvette.

Harper walked next to Lute and faced Valentino, "We're not afraid of losing because we know we'll win."

Vox actually laughed out loud at that, "Yeah we'll see. Our popularity ratings would beg to differ."

To prevent anyone from bawling, you stepped in between both groups, “Lute we’re about to go on. Adam wouldn’t want you to mess up a performance because some assholes are gloating.”

Lute huffed but walked onstage anyway, “We’ll see who fucking wins.”

The group followed her onto the stage. Abel was nearby and hiding himself behind his clipboard so that the Vees wouldn't notice him. Before going on stage you ran over to give him a quick hug. It helped your nerves a little to have him nearby. You then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as you ran off. He tried to say something but you didn’t hear him with how quickly you were rushing on stage to get in position. His hand gently held where you kissed.

The bright lights from above flashed on right as you got into position. Lute gave you a look letting you know you were getting talked to later about not getting onstage quickly. The group’s new song Gravity started to play. Cheers came from the audience as they realized this was a brand new song. You’d been teasing new music but they hadn’t expected it to be shown off so soon. Penlights with your group’s symbol were already lighting up the room. Performing felt less daunting with so many people cheering for you. You even heard a few people cheer your name specifically.

Your choreography was muscle memory at this point. Despite what Adam claimed, you worked your ass off for tonight. Every lyric, every step, every look was perfectly coordinated. While you were hoping to win, you knew getting to hear the fans cheer their lungs out over the new song made everything worth it.

Once the performance was over, you exited the same way you came on. The Hazbins were there waiting to go on. Their dresses were less coordinated but it suited them. It was a bit of a surprise that they were performing since they weren't putting out new music soon but you couldn't deny you were happy to see them. Your group moved past but not without Lute “accidentally” bumping into Charlie. The other members giggled. You stayed behind for just a second.

“Hey sorry about them. Lute never really got over you leaving."

Cherri Bomb watched at they walked away, "The fuck is their problem anyway? It's not like they're the only group out there."

"Too much to explain before we go on…" Vaggi sighed.

"Unfortunately. Good luck you guys! I'll see you after the show!”

They waved at you as they made their way on. As soon as the music started up, the crowd went wild. Evidently it was one of their older songs that they managed to include Vaggi on. The lights were all different shades of pink to match their rough color scheme. Honestly if you weren't in a rival group you would have enjoyed their music, though it was a bit over the top for your tastes.

Listening to the lyrics a bit more and you could tell why they were so beloved. Like many artists before them, they hid their message behind the cutesy style of their show. They all looked like they were having so much fun on stage compared to your group who just focused on being perfect. You walked away after that. It was too much to think about.

The award announcement was going to be any minute and you needed to focus on that. The walk to your seat felt a bit like a blur. Now that the performance was over, your brain just wanted to stop thinking. You tried to hold on as you sat next to the rest of your group. Their whispers were loud enough to hear but not loud enough to make out what they were saying. You could guess, though. All you could hope was that your group won. Adam and the rest of the group would be insufferable if you didn't get it.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

The Vees won. The Vees fucking won. Vox was always annoying but the face he was making really took the cake for most annoying he's ever been. Their speech wasn't even that good. It was full of buzz words to make it sound like they were so grateful for their fans. It was bullshit but their fans didn't need to know that. You politely clapped but you knew what was waiting for you tomorrow.

As the event ended, you did your best to leave as quick as possible. You didn't want to face anyone right now. The universe seemed to take that as a joke because you ran right into Charlie. You did your best to hold back any tears that might let her know you weren't doing okay. But it's Charlie and she somehow always brightened up the room.

"(Y/N)! There you are! I was hoping we'd get to talk after the show. Your group did so good. Your outfits are so creative too! I mean, seriously-"

"Hon I think they get it," Vaggi laughed.

Charlie gave a small laugh, "Right. Yep. Knew that."

"But seriously great job. Adam wasn't too mean was he?"

You sighed, "I wish I could say he wasn't but you know him."

There wasn't much time to catch up before everyone else started filing out and the paparazzi were back in full swing. You got a few friendly pictures with Charlie and Vaggi because of it. You were hoping to talk to them more but pictures with the group were more important, as was showing grace after the loss. Getting the group pictures (again) was much more draining than it had been beforehand. You were dreading the photographers leaving though.

Once they left, you were at the mercy of the rest of the group. You had to leave with them to go to the hotel anyway so it was an inevitability. In the car, you could feel everyone's eyes on you. You kept your head down in hopes that they wouldn't bring anything up. At least Adam wasn't in the car.

"What. The fuck. Was that?" Lute spat.

You didn't respond.

"No answer? Pathetic. We had that award in the bag. Showed off the new song and everything. You ruined it."

The drive felt endless as she continued to berate you over nothing. Everything you thought you nailed earlier, she managed to tear down. The city lights that normally felt so comforting were now suffocatingly bright. When the hotel was in sight, you felt your heart leap in your chest. Adam would've gotten here first so you didn't need to worry about him yet.

The door opened to let you out. Lute grabbed your shoulder to make you face her.

"Hey. Don't think we're done here-"

"Actually, Lute, Adam sent me to get (Y/N). He needs to talk to them."

You turned around to see Abel there. Lute grumbled but let you go anyway. Inside, Abel took you aside to hold you tight. After everything you couldn't hold back your tears anymore. He was the only thing keeping you sane.

"You did great out there. Really. You deserved to win," he mumbled.

You sniffled, "You're just saying that."

"I'm not," Abel pulled your gaze to meet his. "I was trying to tell you earlier but you had to get on stage. You've been doing amazing. It's on them that they can't see that."

Your arms wrapped around his neck to hold him tighter, "You're too good to me."

"I don't think I'm being nice enough after what you've been through today. Why don't we just go upstairs and relax?"

Being a hero is not nearly as glamorous as the magazines made it out to be. Sure you got to meet a lot of people once you got high enough in the pro hero rankings but most heroes never even made the top 100. Taishiro was lucky enough to be right near the middle. It was the sweet spot of popularity. Unfortunately being on the ranking at all meant dealing with some pretty tough villains.

Taishiro didn’t mind, of course. He’s had his fair share of nasty villain fights. It only started worrying him once he started to take on trainees. The fight against Rappa was the first time he actually felt worried in a long time. He even made sure to train extra once he healed so that he’d be able to take on villains like that without needing to use up all of his fat supply.

Still, sometimes tough villains are hard to predict. A group of villains was robbing a bank and knew they were close to where Fatgum and his sidekicks patrolled. They even came prepared. One of their buddies had a quirk that was hard to wear down. He’d been up against villains like that but usually didn’t have to worry about attacking.

The villains, like most criminals they fought, thought they were more prepared than they were. The group hadn’t even considered that part of his quirk was using the energy he absorbed. When he started to charge up the attack, the villain looked about ready to run. The blast wasn’t that big but it still knocked the robber on his ass. Quirk suppressant handcuffs were put on them quickly after that.

Despite how small the blast had felt, it used up more fat than he was expecting to burn in a fight this low scale. The group might not have been completely prepared but their research did show. Both of his sidekicks rushed over after they saw how he’d slimmed after the fight. Kirishima, who hadn’t seen him shrunk down since the Rappa fight, was especially worried. He kept apologizing for getting caught up fighting one of the villain’s teammates. 

“I’m really sorry Fatgum. I should’ve taken that guy down no problem!” Kirishima sheepishly rubbed his neck.

Fatgum turned to Kirishima, “Don’t even worry about it! They knew you worked with me and prepared for that. Besides, I’m not even hurt that bad.”

“But you never have to use your fat reserves like this!” Kirishima argued.

“That’s because I used it for my counterattack. He wasn’t being worn down at all.”

“Are you sure? I can take you-”

“I’m fine,” he interrupted. “Really. I just need to get home.”

Amajiki looked like he wanted to say something but looked away nervously instead. Fatgum just sighed, “I know you guys are worried. But I’m okay, really. I just need to bulk back up again!”

Kirishima ran and got taiyaki from a street vendor nearby. Taishiro sighed but took the treat from him. The anko was sweet in his mouth which was welcome after having bit his tongue during the fight. He’d need more eventually but his patrol would have to end before he could really bulk up. Really it was a miracle that this villain happened at the end of his patrol and not earlier. Amajiki and Kirishima were always reliable but he didn’t want to leave them even if it was for something necessary.

The cops showed up quickly to take the group into custody. They grumbled as they were forced into the back of police cars. Fatgum stayed back a bit to tell the authorities what they knew about their quirks for when they needed to remove the handcuffs. Once they left he checked the time and sighed. His patrols always went on longer than he wanted. Fatgum loved helping people but getting home at the end of a long shift was always his favorite part of the day. He just wanted to fall asleep at home with his partner.

Now that the villains were taken into custody he could finally go back home. And he still needed to eat. He said a quick goodbye to Amajiki and Kirishima like always before starting his route home. Not before stopping for takoyaki though. It wasn’t even enough to make a dent. He bought enough food on the short way home to start hiding his abs but he knew he’d need more once he got back.

The door creaked open. Taishiro didn’t know if you were still awake since it was getting so late. He smiled a little when he saw you sleeping away on the couch. Some show played on the TV in front of you. He did his best to make his way over to the fridge without waking you up. Which was hard with an older house. Of course the one place he stepped was the creaky floorboard. You sat up and sleepily rubbed your eyes.

“Tai? You home?”

He put his food down on the counter and walked over to kiss your forehead, “Go back to bed. It’s late.”

The thought of sleeping was immediately put aside when you saw him. You sat up to take in his thinner form. Even though you’d seen it a few times it was still a little jarring. As hot as he was, it always meant some villain had made him use it up which was worrying. Taishiro was always good about subduing a villain instead of fighting outright.

“What happened? Are you okay?” you started inspecting him for any kind of injury you could help with.

He gently waved your hands away from him, “I’m okay. Just some robbers who were more prepared than I expected. Do you know if we still have those chips you got the other day?”

“Don’t try to change the subject. You’re not hurt at all?” you cupped his face. 

He sat on the couch so that your height was more evenly matched. You always felt a little silly looking up at your giant boyfriend when you were telling him off or generally worried about him. You two had been together long enough that he knew to sit down for you. Once you saw he really wasn’t injured, you went into the kitchen to search for the chips he wanted.

The two of you had a pretty big snack supply just for this reason. Basically anything you could be craving was there. Really the only things specifically for Taishiro were the foods meant to bulk him up. Not that he’d ever stop you from taking anything from the snack stashes. The chips you’d gotten, honey butter flavored, had been a hit with you both. Thankfully you hadn’t run out of them yet and tossed him a bag. On the counter were different microwave meals that he’d grabbed out. After starting one in the microwave, you headed over to the couch where Taishiro was sitting.

“Are you sure you’re okay though? Not often one of these guys prepares more than some dumb escape plan,” you frowned as you sat next to him.

Taishiro smiled and pulled you closer, “I’m okay. And I’m doing better with you here.”

You were gently pulled onto his lap so that he could kiss all over your face. Your giggles only spurred him on. His hands held onto your waist to keep you from moving but his grip was light enough that you were free to leave whenever you wanted. You playfully pushed him away. The only thing that actually got you up was the jingle of the microwave finishing.

“Hey,” he stopped you before you got off his lap. “Why don’t I order take out instead? I don’t think one microwave meal is enough anyway.”

“Won’t I have to get up to open the door anyway?”

He kissed you softly, “Not yet.”

You conceded by kissing him back. He called in some pizzas (three were for him) before turning his full attention to you. The kisses were light and airy which kept you from noticing how much time was passing. Taishiro made sure to keep you on his lap so that he could reach your lips without having to lean down much. A ring from the doorbell stopped you. Taishiro tried to pull you back but you still got up to grab the pizzas.

With the pizzas inside, you two got to eating. One of the best parts about being with Taishiro was that you never felt judged for eating. He was always eating more for his quirk so why would he judge for a few slices of good pizza? Your show from earlier was still playing in the background. It wasn’t anything thought provoking but it made the two of you laugh like crazy.

Once the episode was over, you switched it to one of his favorite movies. It was a cute movie even if you personally had trouble getting into it. His arm wrapped around your shoulder to hold you against him. You cuddled up into his side. He always made for the best pillow. 

You hadn’t seen Abel all day. That wasn’t exactly an uncommon experience. Sometimes he got incredibly busy and forgot to tell you. If he couldn’t come to you, you’d just have to go to him. Where exactly he could be was the real mystery. He did so much around Heaven that it was hard to tell where to look first. At least you could cross off most of his usual spots. If he was going to the movies or somewhere similar he would’ve asked you to join him in a heartbeat.

You decided to try and ask St Peter. It wasn’t like the gate got a lot of visitors so he should’ve been available to talk. Hopefully. You hadn’t talked to him too much before this. Not because of him but you were just closer with Abel and Emily. But he and Abel were always incredibly close. If anyone knew where he probably was it was Peter.

“Nope. No idea.”

You sulked, “What do you mean you don’t know? Aren’t you guys supposed to be best friends?”

“Best friends doesn’t mean I know where he is all the time,” Peter folded his arms. You started to fly off but he stopped you, “Hold on. I might know. Have you been to the pastures before?”

You shook your head.

“It’s by the minigolf course. Most people go for the ponies but there’s sheep out there too. Actually, why do we have the course there? That’s really dangerous.”

That wasn’t a conversation you wanted to have right then. Though he did have a point. Before he could go on, you decided to head out. Peter waved a little before going back to his magazine. He was giggling at one of the pages as you got out of earshot. The minigolf course wasn't much farther. Just a bit beyond that were fields of luscious green grass. There wasn’t anyone as far as you could see. 

Right before you turned back you started to see a small herd of sheep. Who else but your boyfriend was right there with them. You carefully landed behind him where he couldn’t see you. Abel’s soft giggles rang through the air. He was talking to an especially affectionate sheep. It kept letting out loud baas and pushing against Abel’s legs.

“I know you’re so needy today. Haven’t you gotten enough attention?” The sheep gave him an insistent baa.

“Well what about everyone else? I haven’t gotten to give Wooly pets yet.”

Baa.

“You’re right I do give Wooly a lot of attention. But that’s only because he’s so cute! Isn’t that right Wooly-” Abel jumped a little when he saw you standing there. “(Y/N)! I, uh, didn’t see you there. How long have you been there, exactly?”

You walked over and kissed his cheek, “Long enough. You’re adorable.”

“How am I adorable?”

“Just how you are with the sheep. I can’t believe I’ve never visited you out here before. I would’ve come a lot sooner if I knew I got to watch you doting on cute sheep.”

The sheep from before made its way over and gently headbutted your side. Now it had a new person it could force to give it attention. Of course you bent down to start giving it attention. It seemed to lighten up at that. The wool somehow felt softer than you’d originally expected. Wool was always soft but this sheep felt the way you’d expected clouds to feel as a little kid. The other sheep noticed the newcomer and started to head over.

“How have I not heard about you all sooner?” you started to pet a second sheep that was scratching at your leg.

Abel gave a soft smile, “Most people don’t really want to hear about my flock.”

You turned to him, “Well I wanna know. So tell me about these guys! They’re adorable.”

The excitement on Abel’s face was so much you swore he was actually shining. Maybe he was actually shining. He had to think for a moment about where to start. It was surprising that no one had asked him about shepherding before this considering how much he went on about how much he loved sheep.

“Well these are my rams. I only have seven right now. The ewes are with the unicorns at the stadium right now to help with stress. They’re so cuddly that the unicorns always manage to calm down after a small visit. But someone’s gotta watch these guys. Last time I left them alone for too long I found out that one of them got their wool all tangled with some branches. It took me hours to get him untangled,” Abel started.

“Hold on. Ewes?”

“Female sheep! My ewes are a bit nicer than the rams so that’s why I have them visit the unicorns instead.”

One of the sheep you were petting huffed as if taking offense. It seemed to brighten up when you scratched behind its ear.

“Their wool is starting to get a little thick… Oh that means I get to shear them soon! I’ve been wanting to make a new blanket for ages and keep forgetting. Wool is actually one of the best fabrics to make a blanket with! Um, at least for me…”

“Is that why you have so many wool throw blankets?”

“Maybe… But that’s only because they’re really comfy. All thanks to these guys.”

You looked around at the nearly identical sheep, “Are you going to introduce me to ‘these guys’ at all?”

“Oh! Yep! Yeah. I should, uh, do that,” Abel walked over to the sheep by your feet. “These ones are Timothy and Ricardo. I’ve had them the longest and they’re best friends. Don’t believe Timothy. He acts like he hasn’t been given attention but I’m always with him.”

You giggled, “Uh huh. And Ricardo goes along with it?”

“Try encourages it. They’re both little troublemakers,” he was looking at the two sheep. They stared at him indignantly which only made him laugh. Timothy moved closer to nibble at your clothes. He didn’t let up until Abel gave him some grass to eat instead. Timothy thankfully didn’t rip your clothes but the way he was staring at you made you a bit nervous. Not that you were super worried with Abel here.

Abel went to bring over another sheep, “This is Walter. He’s a little more antisocial than the others so he’s feeling a little shy.” True to his word, Walter was trying to move away from you and the rest of the flock to keep grazing.

“Shaun is,” you felt a hoof against your calf, “the one behind you. He loves meeting new people. I think when Emily first visited he didn’t leave her until we had to go back.” Shaun shoved Ricardo out of the way so that he could be the one by your leg and get the attention.

Two sheep completely ignored you in favor of going up to Abel instead. They seemed a bit wary of you but not to the same extent Walter did. Abel sat down with them to let them get closer to him. The sheep on his right tried to climb into Abel’s lap while the other just kept tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. You wanted to help out but something told you Shaun wouldn’t appreciate that.

“These are, hold on Boris, uh Wooly and Boris. You’ll have to come back sometime because they do like people just uh, not… new ones?” 

He gave a small chuckle. The sheep pulling his sleeve, Boris, finally got its way when Abel wrapped his arm around the sheep so that he could pull it in close. Wooly couldn’t quite fit in Abel’s lap and decided to just lay down next to him and keep its head on his lap. It took barely any time for Wooly to be sleeping soundly. A hard task considering how noisy the other sheep were being.

You counted how many Abel had introduced you to. Timothy, Ricardo, Walter, Shaun, Boris, Wooly…

“How many rams did you say you had again? I could’ve sworn you said you had seven but I only counted six.”

Abel practically jumped up from where he was sitting, much to Wooly’s disappointment. He frantically looked around for a little bit before holding up the tiniest sheep you’ve ever seen. It had little sparkles in its wool. If you weren’t in Heaven you would’ve wondered how the little guy looked so adorable. Abel flew over to you and held it out for you to hold. Up close it wasn’t as small but definitely younger than the other six.

“He’s so cute! I can’t believe you almost hid him from me. What’s his name?” you gushed as you looked at the little lamb.

“Um… My dad kinda named him… It’s actually Shitten.”

You had to stop yourself from dropping the lamb out of surprise, “Shitten? Woollock Holmes was right there!”

Abel sighed, “Yeah. Dad always said it was because of sheep and kitten but, well.”

“Why would you have him name one of the sheep in the first place? He wasn’t exactly subtle about things,” you giggled at the thought of Adam naming sheep after different things he thought were funny.

“I thought he’d come up with a nice name! He named the exorcists and all…”

“He named Vaggi after vaginas.”

Your boyfriend blushed, “I didn’t realize!”

The two of you laughed for a minute about how ridiculous some of the exorcists’ names were. Vaggi wasn’t an outlier when it came to Adam and his way of naming things. You were more surprised Abel or Lute had normal names. Honestly you were glad the poor thing didn’t understand names because it would have been pissed that its name was Shitten when the other sheep had names like Wooly and Shaun.

Abel took his spot next to you so that he could pet the lamb as well. It started squirming in your arms so you gently let it down so that it could go play with the older rams. The lamb jumped around to get their attention. Only Boris seemed to pay attention to it and played along. While you were watching them play, you felt Abel rest his head on top of yours.

“It was nice of you to visit. I haven’t had a visitor in awhile so I don’t get to talk about them often,” he murmured.