Exams were just around the corner, and so was prom. Everywhere in the school people were either hidden behind their books, or huddled in a corner, discussing whom they wanted to ask them to prom. Apollyon was new to the whole concept of prom and exams, so Eleanora suggested that he search it up on his laptop.

He was excited to be using it and end up to be rather good in computers. He found the concept of exams rather interesting and promised to do his best, while he didn't quite understand the use of prom.

Apollyon insisted that Eleanora help him prepare for exams while he did the same for her. They both just randomly asked a question as the other answered fluently with full understanding and perfect vocalization. He even took a few weeks off from the garage, where he worked, at to ensure that his sole focus was on studying. Eleanora was impressed and assured him that he would ace the papers.

On the first paper, Eleanora had seen Apollyon grin widely as he was scribbling on the paper. Once the exam had finished, she had inquired how it went and Apollyon complained that there wasn't enough space to write everything he knew.

As the week progressed, Apollyon and Eleanora continues to bury themselves in studies, until they only had the last paper left.

Apollyon was sprawled over the couch as he felt a headache forming. He sighed in relief when Eleanora handed him a mug of hot chocolate. Sitting up straight with a grunt he took the mug as Eleanora settled down beside him.

"Jason approached me today." She informed him as they both took a sip of their drinks.

"He talks to you everyday." Apollyon scoffed as he chewed on the marshmallow that came into his mouth.

"No, he asked him if anyone had asked me to prom yet." Eleanora clarified as he hummed for her to continue. Sighing in exasperation, she took another sip of her drink. "I told him that no one had so far, so he asked me to be his date for prom."

Instantly Apollyon nearly spit out his dink, so in order to prevent that he kept it in his mouth and ended up choking as he forgot how to swallow, momentarily. Patting his back, Eleanora urged him to take another sip as he swallowed with difficulty. Once he the drink was down, he coughed and stood up before pacing around in front of her as she continued to drink the beverage.

"He what?" Apollyon questioned hoarsely.

"Jason asked me to be his prom date." Eleanora spoke again.

"What did you say?" He urged.

"What's it to you?" She shrugged about to take another sip of her drink before he grabbed it from her hand. "Hey!"

"What did you say?!" He demanded as she looked at him in surprise.

"I told him I'd get back to him on it because I had to get to class to give the paper." Eleanora proclaimed while throwing her hands up.

"You are gonna reject him."

"And why would I do that?" Eleanora demanded while getting to her feet as she saw him flush red.

"Because..."

"Because what, Apollyon?" Eleanora urged. "I'm gonna call Jason and tell him that I'd love to be his date for prom."

"You can't!" He exclaimed as he threw her phone behind him, hitting it against the wall and causing it to clatter to the floor with a shattered screen.

"Did you break my phone!?" Eleanora exclaimed in disbelief. "APOLLYON-"

"I WANTED TO ASK YOU OUT!" He yelled suddenly causing her to jump back in surprise at his sudden outburst. "I wanted to ask you out to prom tonight over a nice dinner! Mrs. Scott even convinced me into wearing a suit"

"Apollyon." Eleanora called out in order to calm him down, but he simply turned on his heel and stalked into the bedroom, closing the doors behind him.           

Eleanora sat outside for a while in order to give him time to adjust, and about an hour later, she decided to go and talk to him. Knocking on the door, she let him know that she was entering before stepping into the threshold. Eleanora found Apollyon laying on the bed, facing the ceiling as he had his arms stretched out on either side of him.

"Being human is so confusing." He spoke bitterly as he glared up at the ceiling. "I don't understand what I am feeling most of the time and the intensity of it is just...too overwhelming."

"Like I know that I don't look at you as a friend anymore, it's something more, something more primal and carnal which I can't phrase into words." He stated as Eleanora flushed at his words. "The urges that I have to fight against are very confusing, too."

"Look at me." He laughed humorlessly. "From one of the most powerful Archangels, from the Devil, I have been rendered to a hairless ape with overwhelming emotions and anxiety issues."

Eleanora kneeled at the foot of the bed as she placed a comforting hand on his knee as he didn't bother to move. They sat in silence as Eleanora didn't have words to comfort him. She knew that the transition from Angel/Devil to human would be hard on him, but he never actually vocalized it and she didn't know how to deal with something she knew nothing about. Gently Eleanora moved her finger in a circular motion over his knee as he chuckled lightly after a moment.

"That tickles.." He spoke up as the movement instantly ceased from Eleanora. "Forgive me for breaking your phone, I panicked."

"It's alright." She spoke softly as she fidgeted with her fingers in her lap.

"Lay down with me?" Apollyon inquired, still not having torn his gaze away from the ceiling. "Please?"

Sighing, Eleanora removed her sweater before climbing on top of the bed, and resting her head on his chest as his arm came to wrap around her, both of them laying silently as the sun was starting to make it's descent outside.

"I miss it." He spoke softly as he felt Eleanora rub circles onto his chest.

"What?" She inquired softly.

"Flying." Apollyon revealed solemnly as a tear slipped down his eye. Suddenly he sat up as he pulled open a drawer, taking out a wooden box from inside before emptying the contents onto the bed.

Eleanora picked one up, before skimming her eyes over the text. A speeding ticket. Picking another one up, she realized that it was also a speeding ticket. They were all speeding tickets.

"Apollyon...why do you have so many speeding tickets?" Eleanora asked in concern. "You can get hurt!"

"I...It-it just..." He trailed nervously as he could see how worked up she was getting over this and he didn't expect that, instead he had actually expected a laugh.

"It just what?" Eleanora prompted.

"It just makes me feel like I'm flying again." He informed solemnly as he looked down at his lap.

Instantly Eleanora's eyes softened as she moved closer to him, cupping his face in her hands as she stroked his cheek. She placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling him in for a tight hug as he clung onto her just as tightly.

"Everything will be alright." Eleanora whispered into his ear. "I promise."

"No it's not." His voice cracked as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I want it all to stop. Just stop."

"Apollyon." Eleanora soothed softly while stroking his back. "Hush now. Thing don't always work out the way we want them to, but you have to know, they tend to be for the best."

"Turning into a human is not for the best. Losing my Grace is not for the best. You're dying is not for the best." He spoke bitterly. "Nothing is for the best, Eleanora. Nothing"

"Apollyon...You just have to wait for the future to find out if it was actually for the best." She tried to explain, but thought that she didn't quiet get the message across. "Leave it, let's go have dinner. Maybe a nice restaurant? How does that sound?"

"I don't want to go." Apollyon informed solemnly. "I'm not hungry."

"Alright." Eleanora sighed before laying down on the bed with Apollyon beside her. "Then let's just lie here until you become hungry."

They both lay in absolute silence, not bothering to turn on the lights as the sun set behind the buildings and bathed the room in complete darkness. Eleanora ran her fingers up and down his back as he in turn rubbed lazy circles onto her side. Slowly, both of their movements became lethargic as Eleanora was slowly nodding off.

She released her hold on Apollyon as he shuffled closer to her, now holding her. He placed a kiss on her forehead before laying his head back down, both of them drifting off to sleep.

The sunlight streaming in through the open curtains awoke both of them as Apollyon groaned at the light before tuning away from it. Eleanora stretched beside him, letting out small animal baby sounds as she settled down. Turning to look at her side, she ran her fingers through the back of his head as he groaned softly.

"Come on, wake up." Eleanora chuckled beside him.

"Will you be my prom date?" He asked in a morning voice, turning to face her with wide expectant eyes.

Eleanora chuckled at him as she placed a kiss on his nose. "I'd love to be your date for prom."

A broad grin spread across Apollyon's lips as he smiled at her. Sticking his arm out, he wrapped it around Eleanora's waist before pulling her to him. Sighing softly, he rested his cheek against the top of her head as he drifted off to sleep again.

Eleanora turned in his arms to look at his sleeping figure. The dog tag glinted around his neck as she could feel the soft leather of his wrist bands against her back. Since his birthday, he hadn't taken these articles off unless it was absolutely necessary. A smile crossed her face as she remembered how his grin had lightened the entire living room as she handed them too him.

Bringing her hand up, she traced his features with feather like touches so that she didn't awaken him.

It was all so painless, she realized. It started off as a deal, a simple deal in which he took her soul in return for him to become her friend. He held his end of the bargain, and fought for her safety, losing his wings and Grace in the process.

He became human. For her.

He learned how to cope with most of the human traits, but still wasn't quite adjusted, but he was trying. For her.

She was dying, they both knew that, but in order to give her as much of a chance at normality for the remainder of her life, he didn't bring it up and simply continued to bury the grief and anguish deeper and deeper. For her.

It was killing him from the inside to know that he was responsible for bringing forth her death, but he respected her wishes and didn't mention it.

He did all of this...For her.

Just like everyone else, they have their bad days, in which Apollyon comes to realize that she is actually dying and it all isn't some bad nightmare. Then they have their good days, in which they forget about the world, and simply be them, laughing and talking like everything is alright.

From the Fallen Angel who despised humanity with a burning passion to destroy it, he became the Fallen Angel who fell in love with humanity with a burning desire to make it good.

Eleanora had to wonder when it happened, when it all became so obvious to her.

Was it when he smiled?

When he laughed?

Or was it the way he held her in his sleep?

Was it the way he greeted her a good morning?

Or the way he kissed her? Soft and tender?

Was it because he is always there for her and is the only one who knows?

Knows that she is dying?

A tear streamed down Eleanora's face as she wondered how he would cope with everything? The world? Her death? Being human for the first time, he never had to deal with the grief a loved one's death brings. The empty hollowness that grows in your chest, until you come to live with it. How would he know how to deal with everything? How would he cope?

Would he continue to blame it on himself, despite her assuring him that it wasn't his fault?

Would he abide by her wishes and move on with life? Settle down eventually?

There was so many questions, and so little time.

The tears flowed in a steady stream down her face, as now, now she wasn't sad about the fact that she wouldn't get to grow up to be an adult. Or attend university. Or to become a doctor like her life long dream. Or even have a family of her own.

No. Now, she cried because she would never know what would become of her beloved Apollyon. The Devil that fell for her, a mere human.

Eleanora had come to peace with her faith, but what cruel faith awaited Apollyon? The one who was no less than a little child when it came to new and intriguing topics. He was so much like a curious little youngster, the resemblance was uncharacteristic, but unlike children, he could vocalize his curiosity, and he did so more often than not.

Eleanora feared that he wouldn't be able to cope, and that the real world would be too harsh on him. Who would be there to guide him? Or rub his back when he was tense? Stitch him back up when he would get into violent fights? Ensure that he had eaten? Made sure that he was warm and sufficiently dressed?  He had no one to look after him beside Eleanora.

Maybe that was what it made it all so painless. The resemblance between the both of them. They both only had each other. They came to rely on each other so much, that it stopped being a reliant relationship a long time ago. A small chuckle escaped her lips despite the tears, as she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his, lingering for a second longer before pulling away.

Her tears left a wet patch on his skin as she wiped it away with warm fingers, sobbing silently as he would never know how she felt, and how she wanted to be with him. With her mouth seamed shut, she buried her face in his chest as she cried silently.

It was as simple as ABC, Eleanora realized...

Falling in love with Apollyon Masters...

Was absolutely painless....