"Lucifer." The man hugging him spoke into his ear. "You're alive."

Overcome with sudden protectiveness and the human instinct of danger, he pushed the man away from him, causing his back to collide with the wooden surface of the door as instantly Apollyon had his hands wrapped around his neck, choking him slightly. The face in front of him was one he did not recognise, the man was a few inches shorter than him and had dirty blonde hair with big Hazel eyes, a light dusting of freckles covering the bridge of his nose. He wore denim jeans with a black overcoat over a bright blue sweater.

"Lucifer." The man choked. "Calm down, it's me." He informed with his hands raised in surrender as he didn't try to pry him off.

"Who are you?" He growled lowly as he knew that Eleanora was still sleeping. "And how the hell did you find me?"

The man looked at him in confusion for a minute before a look of realisation came across his face as his lips quirked into a smile. "Of course you wouldn't recognise me."

Suddenly the man in his grasp started to shrink to fit the form of a 14-year-old with black hair and blue eyes. Startled, Apollyon backed away from him, looking at the kid with wide eyes before he morphed back into his 26-year-old form.

"Gabriel?" Apollyon whispered in shock as he looked back at his brother.

"Ding ding ding! And we have a winn-" before he could complete the sentence, Apollyon clamped his hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"Shut up." He hissed lowly. "Don't make so much noise, you idiot!"

Gabriel said something against his hand which came out muffled against his palm as Apollyon released him, allowing him to roll his eyes at his brother before grinning like a trouble maker child. "And why not, brother?"

"Get that grin off your face." Apollyon growled dangerously as the smile instantly vanished from his brothers face. "Just...get to the balcony, I'll talk to you there."

"K." Gabriel shrugged as his form vanished from in front of Apollyon and appeared standing in the balcony, leaning over the railing and looking out at the view. Shaking his head in exasperation, Apollyon locked the door in front of him  before making his way over to the bed, relieved to see Eleanora still sleeping soundly. Sitting down beside her sleeping figure, Apollyon gently brushed her hair out of her eyes as she hummed in content.

"Eleanora, sweetheart." Apollyon gently called out to her to wake her up.

"Hmm?" She hummed questioningly as she blinked open her eyes, smiling up at him.

"I need you to do me a favour." He spoke softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I need you to stay inside the room. No matter what happens, don't come out on the balcony, alright?"

"Why?" She asked drowsily as she sat up with the blanket wrapped around her chest. "What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about." He assured her as he pulled one of his shirts over her head as she pulled her arms through the sleeve. "Just for your own safety, I would like you to stay in the room. Can you do that for me?"

"Whose that?" She asked in panic, as he followed her gaze to be looking out the back of Gabriel swirling the air around his finger. "Apollyon, who is that?"

Sighing in agitation, Apollyon rubbed a hand over his face before placing a kiss on Eleanora's forehead before speaking, "Gabriel."

"Gabriel?"

"Yes. Now I need your to stay here. Okay?" He asked again as he stood up from the bed and grabbed his cigarette case from the side-table. "You can order room service."

"Okay." She nodded as she watched him make his way out the balcony, and closing the door behind him.

The fact that Gabriel was here did not sit too well with Apollyon. Yes, he was his brother, but where was he when he needed him the most? Where was he when he was needed? And why is showing up now, claiming for him to be alive, after all this time, when he is finally happy? All these questions swarmed his mind as he took a out a cigarette and lit it as he stood at arms length from Gabriel, who watched him light the cigarette with great fascination.

"What are you doing here?" Apollyon asked as Gabriel spoke at the same time

"-You feel different." Gabriel had stated as Apollyon rolled his eyes.

"Answer my question first." Apollyon stated as he blew out a cloud of smoke.

"I saw you with that girl last night on a Ferris wheel." Gabriel informed. "And I recognised your aura and followed it here."

Apollyon simply nodded as he looked out at the scene below him.

"What happened, Lucifer? Everyone in heaven thinks your dead."

Apollyon burst out laughing at that statement as he clutched at his stomach. "Do I look dead to you? And stop calling me 'Lucifer'."

"Then what would you have me call you, brother?"

"Apollyon. It's Apollyon Masters now. Lucifer is gone."

"What happened that day all those months ago....Apollyon?"

"Michael took my grace and cut off my wings." Apollyon informed as his hand went to his shoulder instinctively, his finger grazing the top of the scar beneath his shirt. "He has rendered me mortal."

"Y-you have fallen?" Gabriel gasped in disbelief.

"Our brother made me fall." Apollyon shrugged. "I'm mortal now. I have been mortal since that day."

"And the girl- Eleanora?" Gabriel inquired as he tensed. "She is dying. I can feel her soul deteriorating. If I didn't know any better I'd say that she has 15 months left."

"13." Apollyon spoke softly as he put out the rest of the cigarette.

"Please, Luci- Apollyon." He caught himself at the last moment. "Don't tell me that-"

"-It's my doing."

"And on top of that you are in an intimate relation with Sanctitas?"

Apollyon fell silent as his cheeks heated at the memory of last night. Rubbing the back of his neck he avoided his brother's question as he looked everywhere but at him.

"Apollyon-" Gabriel started in a disapproving tone.

"It's none of your concern what I do and don't do." Apollyon snapped suddenly. "You can't use that disapproving parent tone on me. You aren't anything to me! I'm not an angel and I sure as hell am not Lucifer anymore. You weren't there when I fucking needed you! You were never there when I needed you!"

Gabriel looked at him in astonishment, being greatly taken aback by his sudden outburst and harsh words. "You weren't there when Michael locked me up! You didn't have my back like you promised you did, now did you? You weren't there when I was bleeding myself to death on that faithful night of my Grace being stolen from me."

"You're no brother of mine, Gabriel." He growled menacingly at his brother. "I don't want anything to do with you godforsaken celestial beings. I'm mortal now, and for once in a millennia, I am finally happy. Just let me be."

"Will you be happy when Sanctitas is back up there and you're down here?" Gabriel asked pointedly, as his brother gave a glare so cold it would have anyone cower in fear. "Will you be happy then, Lucifer?"

"That is my problem, not yours." Apollyon growled in distaste. "I was always there when you needed me, but you were never there when I needed you. I have leaned never to trust you Angels, because you all are selfish airheads full of shit."

"Lucifer-!"

"Shut up!" Apollyon roared at his brother, roughly shoving him away from him. "Get out of my sight! Don't come to me ever again! I will kill you! You hear me? I will kill you!"

"Luc -- Apollyon.." Gabriel tried to reason.

"Did you not just fucking hear what I said?" Apollyon growled at him, anger radiating from him, resembling the devil. "Are you deaf? Do I have to prove my point to you?"

Gabriel closed his mouth as he looked at his brother with guilt evident in his eyes, begging for another chance.

"I said," Apollyon gritted through clenched teeth, his entire bing shaking with rage. "Get. Lost."

Not needing to be told another time, Gabriel disappeared from the balcony, leaving Apollyon to stand alone in rage. Taking out a cigarette, he lit it with shaking fingers as his entire being was shaking with anger. Feeling a sudden warmth at the middle of his back, he glanced over his shoulder to look at Eleanora who stood with a soft smile in his direction.

Blowing out the smoke, Eleanora cupped his face in her hands as she placed a tender kiss on his lips, patting his cheek in an affectionate gesture.

"I ordered room service." Eleanora informed, purposely avoiding the topic of what just transpired between him and his brother. "It should be arriving soon."

"Okay." Apollyon nodded calmly, the anger abating slowly.

"Are you hungry?" She inquired with a bright smile. "Because I'm starved."

Apollyon chuckled at her as he pulled her into his side, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "What would I do without you, Eleanora?"

***

Eleanora shuffled the pillows around in the bed, looking for her phone as she threw one of the fluffy pillows behind in agitation that she couldn't find her phone. Suddenly a soft force hit her back, causing her to still on the bed. Turning around slowly, she glared at Apollyon who stood with a pillow in hand, looking at her with a smirk and a quirked eyebrow.

"Did you just hit me with a pillow?" Eleanora asked slowly.

"Only because you threw the pillow at me." He shrugged as he turned around to walk away. Before he get four strides away from her, a pillow hit him at the back of his head. Turning around, he grinned mischievously at Eleanora who stood on the bed, a pillow in hand and a smirk dominating her features. "Oh it's on, sweetheart."

"It better be, darling." Eleanora grinned before shrieking as Apollyon pillow hit her side. Laughing they both hit each other with the pillows, creating such a ruckus and a mess as their clothes were disheveled and hair sticking out at odd places.

Apollyon threw a pillow in Eleanora's direction which she dodged sticking out her tongue at him, before a smaller pillow hit her square in the face, causing Apollyon to roar with laughter. Before Apollyon could react, Eleanora was hitting him with a pillow repeatedly, causing his laughter to turn into chocking coughs as he tried to grab the pillow from her grasp or reach for his own.

It was war.

Both of them hitting each other with the numerous pillows that lay around them, even having torn one in the process of tug-of-war; which resulted in feathers everywhere. In their clothes, in their hair, all around the room, everywhere. Eleanora shrieked with laughter as Apollyon ran after her, both of them laughing hysterically and breathless at their play fight that had been dragging on for an hour or two. They wouldn't know, both of them were too busy in trying to declare a winner.

Flushed and out of breath, Apollyon wrapped an arm around Eleanora's waist, the sudden misbalance caused both of them to topple to the floor with Apollyon on top of her, both of them laughing breathlessly and trying to regain their bearings.

"I win." Apollyon grinned cheekily as Eleanora laughed at his expression.

"Na-uh."

"Uh-Huh" Apollyon grinned down at her. "Excuse me, but I think I win, and I think you know it too."

"Nope." She stated while popping the p. "I win."

"And how so?"

"I hit you more times with the pillow than you."

"Oh, so keeping score are we?"

"Of course."

"Well aren't you a sore loser."

"I'm not a loser." She gasped in mock offence.

"Just admit it!" Apollyon laughed.

"Make me." She challenged in response as he raised an eyebrow at the statement, smirking down at her.

***

Eleanora knew that Apollyon would be angry if he found out about what she was planning. But she just couldn't idly stand by and watch him suffer night after night after night. It made her sick to the stomach knowing that he woke up screaming in the middle of the night because of her and she believed that it was her duty to end his misery. Even if it meant going against his wishes.

Wrapping the jacket closer around her frame, she tentatively glanced over her shoulder and inside the room to see Apollyon sleeping soundly while hugging a pillow. Only a few hours ago he had woken up screaming and tears streaming down is face, as Eleanora soothed him, it took some while to calm him down, but he was still so utterly terrified that Eleanora couldn't stand it.

Now here she was, outside on the balcony, begging for a cure.

"Gabriel?" She called out tentatively to the sky, being uncertain if he would come at her call. "Gabriel, it's me, Eleanora. I was wondering if we could talk?"

She looked around herself and at the empty space around her as she took in another deep breath, glancing over her shoulder to ensure that Apollyon wasn't waking up. "Look, I get it you don't want anything to do with Apollyon, or me for that matter, but I just need a favour."

"Please...it's for him." She sighed dejectedly as she still didn't get a response. Giving up hope, she turned around and headed back towards the door.

"What is it?" A teenage voice called from behind her. "What do you want from me?"

Turning around she faced the 14-year-old boy, whom she first met Gabriel in. He leaned against the railing, an expressionless face staring back at her as his eyes bore into her, looking for answers. "I can't cure you, you know."

"Y-yeah...I-I know. Apollyon told me that -- and I don't need you to cure me." She stuttered as she couldn't believe that he came. "I need you to cure Apollyon."

"What wrong with him?" Gabriel inquired monotonously, but his eyes portrayed his concerns at her words. "Physically, he is perfectly well."

"Physically? Yes." Elenaora nodded in confirmation. "Mentally? No."

"What do you mean, Sanctitas?" Gabriel inquired with a pinched expression. "What is wrong with him mentally?"

"I won't ask a lot of you." Eleanora assured, ignoring his inquiry about his mental health. "I'm sure that it must be in your power."

"What? What must be in my power?"

"I want you to take away his nightmares." Eleanora informed firmly, her jaw set and her head held high in determination. "I want you to take away every single nightmares that haunts him when he is awake."