Work Text:
Audrey was all too familiar with her parents' love story, everyone was; Her mom was cursed, she fell asleep, a prince saved her with a true love's kiss, they lived happily ever after. She had heard the story far too many times that she longed for her own. She wanted a fairy tale love story similar to her parents' just minus the curse part. She wanted to meet a prince, fall in love, and live happily ever after. She wanted a fairy tale love story that she would never get tired of telling her own kids. That was the plan, the happily ever picture she painted for herself. Audrey thought she finally found it in Ben, but she was wrong. She thought she found it again in Chad, but she was mistaken. It seemed liked her dream was drifting away far from her reach.
It had been a month since the Ben and Mal officially brought the barrier down, finally allowing villains to walk on the same grounds as them. A month since she did her whole queen of mean act, placing the people under a sleeping spell or turning them into stone. Some people were still scared of her, afraid that she'll curse them again, but it did not matter to her because her friends have forgiven her and still continued to accept her, even the VKs whom she surprisingly had gotten closer to. She did receive a punishment though, as Ben deemed it was unfair if she wouldn't get one after almost destroying the kingdom, to which she gracefully accepted.
Whenever Audrey feels stressed, overwhelmed, or pressured from by her grandmother's expectations, Audrey visits the Enchanted Lake. There was something about the magical jade-colored waters that simply calms her. Today was one of those days she decided to visit the lake. She was not stressed nor overwhelmed. Her grandmother had stopped pressuring her as well. She was calm and happy, for the first time in her life. But something inside her told her to go to the lake, boredom maybe considering that none of her friends were free to hang out with her; Jane and Carlos were on a double date with Jay and Gil; Chad was busy working on his term paper for the semester, of course with a little help from Evie and Doug, since he's still too dumb to make one on his own; and Ben was busy with his duties as a king. She arrived at the lake and there she saw a familiar person sitting on the lake's stone floor, her feet dangling in the cool waters, leaning against the column. There was no mistaking who the person was, the purple hair clearly gave it away.
"Hey" She greeted the person, taking a sit on the space beside her and dipped her feet into the water.
"Hi" Mal smiled softly. The two have never really been alone together so the awkwardness surrounding them was understandable, plus add the fact that their parents were enemies, well maybe just Maleficent and Queen Leah since Aurora never really held a grudge against the evil fairy.
"I’m sorry about you and Ben" Audrey said, breaking the silence between and the awkwardness between them, doing her best to strike a conversation. Mal looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "News around Auradon spreads fast like a wildfire. So don't be surprised if within 30 minutes or an hour, everyone already knew that you and Ben broke up" Audrey explained, "Plus Ben is the king" she added.
"Thanks. Although I felt relieved actually. I don't think I'm ever ready to be a queen." Mal said. "How are you doing lately?" Mal asked, looking at Audrey. The princess only shrugged in response, "I'm alright. Some are still scared of me. They can't even look at me without thinking that I'll turn them into stone. It's like I'm Medusa. The VKs are surprisingly nice actually"
"We are nice. You just allowed your prejudice to get the best of you" Audrey just simply nodded and silence entered the scene again, but this time it was comfortable.
"I'm sorry, by the way" Audrey turned to Mal, confused, although clearly knowing what the girl was apologizing for. "For stealing Ben, completely ruining your picture perfect life." Audrey chuckled lightly. Her life was far from picture perfect even before Mal and her friends entered and ruined it. "Thanks. Although I wouldn't really say it was perfect what will all the expectations my grammy placed on me"
The two continue to talk, sharing their lives, their childhood, realizing that they were not exactly different. They both had adult figures who placed great expectations upon them; Maleficent expected Mal to be evil just like her, and Queen Leah expected Audrey to be Ben's queen. Audrey had felt an unknowing and unexplainable sense of comfort when talking to Mal, something that she had never felt before.
"You ever pictured your happily ever after, Mal?" Audrey suddenly asked, looking at the girl. Mal simply looked at Audrey, baffled at the princess' question, "I lived in the Isle in case you have forgotten. Words like 'happily ever after' did not exist there"
Audrey shrugged, "I dunno. I mean Evie told me she pictured her own"
"Evie is a princess at heart" Mal told her, "Even without the royalty status". Audrey smiled sheepishly, remembering what she told the blue haired girl when they first met. "I'm sorry I said that she's not a princess."
"I did want to slap you that time" Mal chuckled, "anyways, to answer your question, no I never pictured any happily ever after. Hell I didn't even picture that someday I'll be here in Auradon. I was very convinced that I would die in the Isle, either by starvation or in the hands of my mother, or Uma and her pirates. Why did you ask?"
"Nothing really. I had my own happily ever after picture, with Ben until--"
"Until I entered completely ruining it" Mal finished her sentence, "Again, I apologize for that"
"It's alright" Audrey smiled softly and sighed, as she stared at her reflection in the waters, "I thought Ben or Chad will be my happily ever after, turns out it's not. If I'm being honest, the happily ever after picture I long for is slowly fading away. It's like I'm not meant to have one" Mal noticed the hint of sadness in the princess' voice and took Audrey's hand, holding it as she looked at the girl, smiling softly at her. An electrifying feeling coursed through her body when Mal held her hand, her heart fluttering at the girl's soft smile. "You'll get your happily ever after, Audrey. This is Auradon. Happily ever after exists here."
Since their talk at the Enchanted Lake, Mal and Audrey had surprisingly grew closer, to the point that they can call each other as friends now. As time continue to pass, and the more Mal and Audrey hang out and got to know each other better, completely putting their horrible past behind them, the more Audrey continue to feel what she first felt at the Enchanted Lake. Whenever she sees Mal or talks to her, she can feel her chest fluttering, her stomach getting butterflies, electricity running through her veins. It had officially gotten to the point in which seeing the purple fairy becomes the highlight of her day. Of course Audrey knew what the feelings meant, because she once felt it with Ben, except it was stronger. But she denied it, because she can't fall in love with a VK, right? Plus Mal is a girl and she knows for sure that she is straight.
But she could not deny the fact that seeing Mal makes her happy, happier than she had ever felt with Ben or Chad.
"You should tell her" Ben simply suggested, popping a few popcorn in his mouth. Chad, Jane, Doug, and Lonnie nodding their heads, agreeing with the king. They were all in Audrey's room, hanging out together like they all used to, binge watching the entire season of Friends.
"You want me to tell your ex-fiancé the feelings that I continue to deny?"
"Well, maybe accept the feelings first, then confess" Doug suggested
Audrey looked at her friends and sighed, "I can't fall in love with Mal"
"Is this the whole VK thing? I thought we're way past that" Jane asked, Audrey shaking her head, "No it's not that. I mean Mal is a girl and I'm straight"
Doug smiled at his friend, "Sexuality is fluid, Auds. There are some people who believed they are this kind of sexuality then someone comes in and destroys that belief. There's nothing wrong with it actually. Let's take our dear friend Ben for example" They all turned to the king to whom Doug pointed at, "He thought he was straight then Harry Hook entered his life and he realized he was falling for the pirate, he accepted it and now his happy with him. Happier than I've seen him to be honest" It was true. Audrey noticed how Ben's face simply lit up at the sight of Harry or when someone mention Harry's name, or when Ben talks about him. He was happier than he ever was with Mal.
"He's my happily ever after" Ben said, smiling softly. "Plus the eyeliner really got me" he added, winking playfully at his friends.
"Carlos is mine" Jane said
"Evie" Doug added
"Lonnie" "Chad" The two said simultaneously.
Audrey looked at her friends and thought how lucky they all were to find their happily ever after. Funny thing was, her friends were not looking for happily ever after, it just simply came to them. They did not create any picture like her, the picture just formed itself. She on the other hand created her own and it failed and happily ever after became out of her reach. She thought of Mal and the idea of happily ever after with her, and her heart fluttered like it always does.
'You know they are your happily ever after when you can picture yourself telling your love story to your kids, no matter how bizarre and crazy it is' Her mom once said when she asked how she knew her father was her happily ever after, aside from the whole true love's kiss.
"So you guys think Mal is my happily ever after?" Ben, Chad, Jane, Lonnie, and Doug all shrugged their shoulders. "Maybe. Maybe not. There is no way of knowing someone is your happily ever after if you don't do something about it" Ben said. "Besides, Mal also feels the same" Audrey raised her eyebrow, looking at the king. Lying is not really Ben's forte, but it's hard to believe that Mal also feels the same way. "Harry accidentally told me and made me promise not to tell anyone, but here I am breaking my promise to my boyfriend"
A knock was heard and Ben went to open the door to see Mal, "Hey, Mal!" Ben greeted, moving aside allowing Mal to enter the room, "What brings you here?"
"I actually want to see if Audrey wants to hang out, but I think I'm interrupting something--"
"Oh no you're not" Chad quickly said, "In fact we are about to leave. So you can have Audrey by yourself" Chad said teasingly as he stood up, Lonnie, Jane, and Doug doing the same, and left the room immediately along with Ben. Audrey rolled her eyes at her friends antics and looked at Mal, smiling softly at her, "So you wanna hang out with me?"
"Well I was wondering if I can take you to that new ice cream shop that just opened. You like ice cream, right?"
"Are you asking me on a date?" Audrey teased, chuckling lightly.
"Maybe? If I am, will you say yes?" Mal grinned at her
"Yes" Audrey told her as she walked closer to Mal and placed a soft kiss on the girl's cheek. "Also, everyone likes ice cream, Mal"
Mal smiled as she took the princess' hand. The two walked to the entrance of the school where Mal's purple moped is parked. Mal picked up the extra helmet hanging from one of the bars and placed it on Audrey's head, securely fastening the buckle. Audrey swear to god she is close to fainting due to the close proximity of her and Mal plus her heart is beating faster than ever. "I'm assuming you already experienced riding scooters from when you dated Ben"
Audrey chuckled as she nodded, remembering Ben's scooter which he referred to as his 'baby'. Mal wore her own helmet and climbed on the scooter, Audrey climbing behind her and wrapped her arms around the fairy's waist, praying to the gods that Mal could not feel the loud beating of her heart that Audrey is convinced she'll die from. They soon arrived at the newly opened ice cream shop, Mal immediately finding a parking spot and parked her moped. Audrey got off the scooter, giving Mal the helmet back. Mal took Audrey's hand again, their fingers intertwined as they entered the shop.
"What do you want, princess?" Mal asked, her eyes glued to the bunch of ice cream flavors displayed in the case.
"I'll take the mint chocolate chip" Mal nodded and ordered Audrey's ice cream and a strawberry flavored one for herself, paying the cashier. She took the ice cream and turned to Audrey, "come on, let's eat this at the Enchanted Lake, it's nearby from here."
Audrey looked around the place, clearly seeing available tables and turned to Mal, "I mean I don't mind here"
"I know. I don't mind either but I wanna go there" Mal smiled as she walked outside carrying their ice creams, Audrey following her. Audrey heard Mal mutter some kind of spell on their ice cream that prevented it from melting and placed it on each side of the cup holder of the bike. Audrey took the helmet she used and wore it on her but before she can fasten the belt, Mal had already done it. "I like your eyes, by the way" Mal complimented. She wore her helmet again and hopped back on the bike, Audrey doing the same and drove to the Enchanted Lake.
"So why did you choose this place for our date?" Audrey asked as she took a spoonful of the mint chocolate in her mouth. "This place became special to me. It always has since Ben brought me here on our first date" Mal explained.
"He took me here as well"
"Do you think he took Harry here as well?" They both chuckled softly at Mal's question, agreeing that their friend most likely did.
They continue to eat their ice cream in comfortable silence, Audrey noticing Mal staring at her, "What?"
Mal shook her head, smiling softly at the princess, "Nothing. You just really look beautiful"
Audrey blushed at Mal's compliment, which amuses the girl. She had received compliments before, people telling her how beautiful she is, most of them came from her parents and her friends. But Mal's compliment felt different. Not bad different, but the good kind. Audrey blinked as Mal held her chin, her face getting closer as she stared at her. "W-what are you doing?"
"Admiring the artwork that Queen Aurora and King Philip created" Mal smiled softly and Audrey can feel her cheeks heating up from the sweet compliment that slipped out of Mal's lips, her heart racing faster.
Audrey could not take it anymore. The intense feeling she felt inside her whenever she sees Mal was already too much. She had officially fallen in love with the daughter of Maleficent deeply, deeper than she ever felt for Ben or Chad. Audrey leaned closer and captured Mal's lips, kissing her softly. A smiled formed in between her lips as she felt the other girl returning the kiss, one hand sliding itself at the back of Mal's neck, pulling her closer. Mal broke off the kiss and chuckled softly, her eyes meeting the princess'
"Be my girlfriend, princess?" Audrey smiled and kissed Mal again, her way of saying yes.
"Mommy, tell it again" A six year old Madeline exclaimed happily, clapping her hands. Audrey chuckled softly as she tap her daughter's nose, "Tomorrow again, my sweet princess. Now you need your beauty sleep" She tucked the girl to sleep and placed a soft kiss on the little girl's forehead. "Goodnight, my princess. I love you"
"Goodnight, mommy. I love you too" Madeline said softly before closing her eyes and slowly falling asleep. Audrey left her daughter's room and walked to theirs where she finds Mal on the bed with a book in her hand, not noticing that Audrey had entered the room. Audrey walked to their bed and planted a soft kiss on the girl's cheeks, surprising Mal. She chuckled lightly as she take the book from Mal's hand, settling it down on the drawer beside them, and laid down beside her wife, Mal automatically wrapping her arms around Audrey and pulled her close. Audrey placed one hand on Mal's cheek and the two stared at each other lovingly like they always do. They did not need to say the words 'I love you' to know that they do, because actions always speak louder than words.
This was nowhere near the happily ever after she once created. Their story may be crazy and bizarre, and the happily ever after she longed for may not have came in a form of a prince, but she could not ask for more.
Mal is and will always be her happily ever after.