not a prince, but a lady of the court (malvie oneshot)
fandom: descendants
pairing: evie and mal, side jay and carlos
word count: 7k
on ao3
summary:
Mal headed out their room, leaving Evie alone with her thoughts.
And boy, were there a lot of things running through her mind this morning.
Maybe boy wasn’t the right word.
warnings: internalized homophobia/ sexuality criss but it all works out, kinda anti b*l but not anti ben
a/n: dedicated to the wonderful @cherylstoni, who voted for this 300 times. it’s also her bday today so send her some love <3
Even though a short stretch of glittering water separated each other, Auradon and the Isle were two very different places.
On the Isle, people were concerned with serving their own interests and amassing power to inflict as much pain possible. There was no time for friendships or nurturing in a place full of thievery, lies, and betrayal. Instead of running in picturesque fields and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ like the kids in Auradon, they had to learn how to fend for themselves and stand their ground. They were villains, after all.
The parents had different ways of showing their children how to be evil, whether it be with magic or violence. Some of them were seen as burdens, while others were seen as another chance to succeed with their nefarious plans. Either way, the children of the Isle were faced with an extreme amount of pressure to live up to their parents legacy, even if it wasn’t what they wanted deep down.
Evie was one of the latter, the Evil Queen seeing her daughter as a way to live in a beautiful castle once again-- and someone who didn’t necessarily want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Unlike the others her age, Evie learned how to get what she wanted a little differently. She wasn’t going to become queen with a spell or a duel to the death, but rather by stealing everyone’s hearts-- figuratively speaking, although the literal sense was not outlandish on the Isle.
According to her mother, the first way to do this was to be beautiful. It wasn’t a secret that the Evil Queen used to ask her mirror who was the fairest of all first thing in the morning during her reign. To her, beauty was power-- it both made one more confident and often made them able to bend a man’s will at a whim. This ideology that beauty was everything was instilled in Evie as she grew up.
It didn’t really take much for Evie to be considered gorgeous by the others on the Isle. Though there was no magic running through her veins, her beautiful bouncing blue curls and her plump pink lips hypnotized anyone who passed. Her brown eyes were the color of amber, and despite being surrounded by wickedness, she had a smile that rivaled the sun.
Still, Evie became obsessed with pouring over old Auradon magazines for makeup tips to make her cheeks rosy and her lips candy apple red. During the night she would sneak into her mother’s bedroom while she was sleeping and rummage through her vanity, finding makeup the Evil Queen barely used. She’d scurry back with her new possessions and apply the shadows and balms using her treasured mirror, only illuminated by the moonlight.
What she loved most was fashion, picking complementary colors and the perfect fabrics to fit her mood and sewing late into the evening. She loved wearing skirts and dresses, though the Isle didn’t provide many opportunities to be formal. Instead Evie figured out how to make her clothes practical yet cute, creating studded leather leggings to protect herself during fights or the unruly thorns surrounding cobbled pathways. She’d often find herself at Jafar’s shop perusing jewelry and metal trinkets to add to outfits, or trading random scraps with Dizzy at the salon. The velvet chokers and spiky rings she often wore were not only pretty, but could help pack a mean punch if need be.
Still, Evie would sketch the extravagant gowns and crowns she’d adorn once she was a queen, dreaming of the life she’d have when she grew older. Fashion was a way to express herself and accentuate her beauty, but it also gave her hope. She would have a chance to wear frilly ball gowns and tiaras made of pearls and roses. Evie would get to Auradon somehow.
The most important step to getting power however, was to marry a prince. At least, that’s what her mother said just about every single day. It was, in fact, how she became queen herself, marrying Snow White’s father.
With a prince, she could live in her very own castle (with a wing for her mother of course) and hold parties full of beautiful gowns, being admired by all. Evie would be able to be in Auradon, and have power over her life for once.
Others on the Isle found the royalty of Auradon idiotic and insufferable, but the Evil Queen painted a vision of joy and love for her daughter. Evie would later understand that her mother’s interpretation of joy and love was terrorizing her people and being obsessed with herself, but as a young girl, all Evie wanted was to find a prince to call her own.
There were princes on the Isle, but none of them had enough power or land for Evie to even consider marrying them. Besides, the point was to have control over Auradon, and the blue haired girl would just have to wait for that opportunity to arise instead of throwing it away on someone like Prince Hans’ son.
The Isle was a place where everything one did had to be for their own benefit, and Evie decided that a relationship with some guy wouldn’t do anything for her at all.
However, that didn’t stop her from making friends. Evie had become incredibly close with Mal, Jay, and Carlos-- some of the most formidable children on the island. They spent almost all of their free time together, exploring every inch of their prison and wreaking havoc on anyone who crossed them. If her mother asked who she was spending all her time with Evie would say it was for an alliance, that she was getting goods or money, but deep down she knew they were their own little family.
To escape the pressure from their parents, the four would spend time in an abandoned studio type apartment. Carlos had rigged it so that the fire escape leading into the building could only be opened by throwing rocks at a sign at the base of the stairs-- not that many would dare try to cross Mal. They made the space their own, Mal practicing her graffiti on the walls, which were now covered in their own faces and rebellion propaganda. Evie kept an old mannequin she found to work on her outfits, and Carlos could often be found fiddling with a gadget at the dining table while Jay sat beside him and sorted through the items he nicked that day.
Though Evie enjoyed living in Auradon much more than on the Isle, she often thought fondly on her memories from their hideout, and one in particular. She remembered the four of them laying across the old lumpy mattress, listening to a horrible pop CD that was thrown out by one of the Auradon residents. They poked fun at the nonsensical lyrics and mocked the squeaky voices-- it was all so innocent compared to life on the Isle. Mal was beside her, holding her hand steady as she doodled onto Evie’s palm whatever came to mind with black ink. The purpled haired girl hadn’t even asked if it was okay, but Evie wouldn’t have rejected her touch either way-- though she wasn’t expecting Mal to be so delicate and gentle. She had figured it was because Mal didn’t want to smear the swirling patterns of stars and thorn covered roses that covered her skin. The image of Mal biting her pink lips in concentration and smirking as the boys joked burned in Evie’s mind since that night.
For all the differences between Auradon and the Isle, the four friends still took the time to escape from it all and catch up. In fact, being in Auradon made them closer than ever. Being the only villain kids in a place full of kind-hearted souls made them rely each other for support.
It was Friday night, and Mal, Carlos, Jay, and Evie were sat around the circular table in the boys’ dorm room. After relaying the weird behaviors of Auradon kids they encountered that week, the four sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s company. They munched on the sickeningly sweet snacks Jay swiped from the kitchen as Carlos made improvements to their 3D printer. Evie was sketching a gown for her fashion line, and beside her Mal was scowling at a book of manners.
“This is ridiculous,” Mal scoffed and tossed the book onto the table, “Why do I have to study up on how to ‘sit like a lady’ for this stupid court meeting?”
Evie looked over to her best-friend, “So you don’t have outbursts like that. You have to make a good first impression.”
“Yeah, that’ll be super easy. I’m the daughter of Maleficent and I just broke up with the King three weeks ago,” Mal rolled her eyes.
Right, Evie had almost forgotten about that. A month after the cotillion, Mal and Ben decided it was best for them to break up and be just friends. Mal couldn’t handle all the pressure of being his girlfriend, and ever since they came back from the Isle something had changed. She felt horrible about it, but when Mal told her the news, Evie felt relieved. At first she thought it was because not just a prince, but a King was available, but truthfully she hadn’t thought about princes ever since the coronation.
“He didn’t seem that upset-- neither did you actually,” Carlos commented offhandedly, and looked up to see Mal’s green eyes scowling at him, “Or um… it was tragic. Truly tragic.”
Mal sighed, “It doesn’t matter either way, the court is gonna hate me even more than they already do.”
“So? Since when do you care what other people think?” Jay asked.
“I don’t,” she snapped, and looked over to Evie, her eyes softening, “But I have to represent the Isle. This is a chance for Auradon to help even more villain kids, and I can’t mess that up. Even if I despise curtsying.”
Evie smiled with pride, “Already sounding more and more like a diplomat.”
“Ugh, don’t call me that,” Mal groaned, snatching up the book again.
Jay cleared his throat, “Well, since you’re there, you can scope out the hotties of the court for us.”
Mal raised a brow at this request.
“The uh, princes for Evie and yourself and the princesses for Carlos and I of course,” Jay quickly clarified.
Evie forced herself to smile at this, despite how weird the idea of her actually being with a prince now felt.
Across from her, Carlos laughed lightly, and though the others didn’t seem to notice, Evie could tell it was forced. The locked eyes for a moment, a sense of understanding between them, before they looked away.
“Well sorry, you’ll have to set up your own royal dates. I don’t have time to play matchmaker,” Mal put her legs up on the table, her voice defensive, “Besides, Evie and I don’t need princes.”
The next morning, Evie was woken up from her beauty sleep by the sound of Mal groaning in frustration. She slowly opened her brown eyes, adjusting them to the sunlight streaming through the curtains before finding the other girl at their vanity.
“Stupid eyeliner,” Mal cursed under her breath, and Evie couldn’t help but smile.
“Having a little trouble?” she smirked, kicking off her blankets and standing up.
Mal whirled around, “Yeah, sorry E, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s fine,” Evie let out a small yawn, “You should’ve just let me do your makeup though. I am the expert after all.”
“You’re already doing a lot for me with all the clothes and listening to my ranting.”
“Please, I’m not gonna let my girl look bad at her first court meeting,” Evie pulled up a chair and with her hand turned Mal’s face to her own, “It would reflect poorly on me,” she quickly added.
Mal laughed and let Evie finish the rest of her makeup. She took the liquid liner from her hand and even though she just woke up, Evie put it on with precision. When Mal’s eyes were closed, she looked so beautiful and peaceful, like all of the stress building up inside her melted away at Evie’s touch.
That was just wishful thinking.
She applied highlighter to Mal’s nose, which promptly crinkled upon contact. Her face was all scrunched up and Evie could only think about how adorable she looked. God, she needed to pull herself together.
“All done,” Evie announced after she put lipstick on her, “Now get changed or you’ll be late.”
“That would be a shame,” Mal stood up, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
As Mal changed in the bathroom, Evie perused her closet to chose her outfit for the day. They didn’t have any classes as it was Saturday, and the tourney game wasn’t until tommorrow. Other than studying for chemistry, she had nothing to do while Mal was gone.
Jay’s comment about princes from last night rang in her mind, and she felt a pang in her chest. ‘Prince’ didn’t feel right, but maybe that was because she hadn’t really been looking since they first arrived. She knew she didn’t need to be with someone-- she was smart and didn’t need to rely on a man. But, she wanted to be with someone, to share every experience with. Evie hated the weird feeling forming in her stomach, like her whole world was about to crumble. She quickly composed herself and decided to pick something extra cute to aide her in her search and lift her spirits.
“Zip me?” Mal asked, emerging from the bathroom and holding onto the front of her dress.
Evie nodded and walked behind her, fumbling for the zipper. She noticed the freckles dotting Mal’s back, like constellations or flecks of gold.
Once she did the zipper up, Mal twirled around, and revealed the indigo dress. It was fairly simple yet fancy, with various shades of sheer blue and purple covering the skirt, which ended just above her knees. Just above the sweetheart neckline, a chain pendant rested. It was perfect dress for her first court meeting, a blend of the Isle and Auradon.
Besides, Mal looked absolutely stunning in it.
The sound of Mal clearing her throat brought Evie back to reality, “Like what you see?”
Evie cheeks instantly burned up, “Just uh, admiring my handiwork.”
“So you like seeing me in your clothes?” Mal smirked.
She knew Mal was just being a smartass, but Evie was still flustered. Mostly because she did feel proud that her best friend was wearing something she made (and maybe because she dreamed about Mal wearing her silk pajamas once or twice).
“See, that’s the type of attitude that the court won’t like,” Evie chastised.
Mal slipped into her heels, “Hey, I promised not to start any fights or steal the silverware. There has to be some sort of compromise.”
Evie chuckled and rolled her eyes fondly, “Promise me you’ll play nice?”
“You’re no fun anymore,” Mal pouted playfully.
“Rude!” she gasped as she fixed the dress, making it look perfect, “Besides, I said don’t steal the silverware, not the food.”
Mal broke out into a grin, “I knew my girl is still in there.”
My girl. Evie’s heart soared.
“Well, like Dizzy said…”
“You can take the girl out of the Isle but not the Isle out of the girl,” they said in unison.
“I’d better get going so I can get some more of the Isle in Auradon. See you later?”
Evie nodded, “I expect you to return with cookies.”
“As you wish,” with a mocking curtsy, Mal headed out their room, leaving Evie alone with her thoughts.
And boy, were there a lot of things running through her mind this morning.
Maybe boy wasn’t the right word.
The one thing that Evie could not let go was how that morning would go if everything was different. She wanted to wake up next to Mal and cuddle into her instead of the purple haired girl being across the room. She wanted to trace her fingers across Mal’s freckles, memorizing where every single one was, like mapping out the cosmos. She wished that she could give Mal a kiss goodbye, give her more support for her tough day, to let her know that Evie was there for her.
Of course, Mal knew Evie would always be there. They were each other’s closest friends, some went as far to say they were almost sisters. Evie didn’t know what the feelings she was developing for Mal were, but she knew it was not sisters.
Evie repressed her thoughts, not wanting to deal with them. This was just her being overly empathetic towards the whole breakup situation right? It would be solved by a quick compliment from a dashing prince and Evie would be back to her boy crazy self-- sans the whole ‘throwing away her dignity’ thing.
Her plan wasn’t working. At all.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t getting any compliments or lingering stares from the princes at Auradon prep. Evie had worn one her favorite outfits, which included her trusted blue leather jacket. Her makeup was done to perfection, her brown eyes surrounded by blue eyeliner and mascara. As she wandered the halls looking for a prince to sweep her off her feet, Evie was showered with compliments from just about everyone.
She was the problem.
Normally any sense of validation from any guy made Evie fall in love instantly, but even the sweetest of compliments did nothing for her. Part of her wondered if it was because she used to place so much of her self-worth on the opinions of others, and didn’t let herself reach her full potential. She had held herself back to seem more appealing or to help boys like Chad.
Speaking of the son of Cinderella, he lived up to his father’s name when he saw her walking in the garden, laying the ‘charm’ on thick.
When she had first arrived everything he did left her giggly and flustered, but now his wink and cheesy pick up line just made Evie uncomfortable.
Auradon was supposed to help the children from the Isle learn to love, not take the ability away. Was there something wrong with her?
Eventually, Evie decided to give up on her mission, and headed to the dining hall for supper.
The room was lit up by candles and filled with people along with the scent of warm, sweet, fresh pumpkin pie. Booming laughter echoed off the wall, and among the noise, Evie heard her stomach rumble. She filled up her plate with the chicken roast and vegetables, snatching up a piece of the pie, and made her way to the back corner of the room where the four villian kids usually sat. As she approached, Jay and Carlos were surrounded by books and heaps of food, fighting with each other. Typical.
“How many times do I have to explain the difference between weight and mass?!” Carlos exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
Jay groaned, “Why do I have to learn this science anyways? It’s not useful to what I’m gonna be doing-- I’m not the genius out of the two of us.”
Evie didn’t miss the slight blush that covered the freckled boy’s cheeks, “Because, Jay, this is physics. You use it everyday when you’re playing tourney and climbing everywhere.”
“Yes, because I have time to do a physics equation while I’m running around” Jay rolled his eyes, eating a spoonful of mashed potatoes.
Carlos glared at the long haired boy before swatting at him and lunging. She never really understood their constant play fights, especially considering how… athletically challenged and tiny Carlos was in comparison to Jay.
Either way, Mal’s absence from the table was almost deafening to Evie, she wondered how she can miss someone even though she saw them only hours ago.
The latter placed Carlos into a headlock, “Wanna find the angle of my arms right now?”
“That’s geometry” he choked out.
“Boys, boys, play nice” Evie scolded as she pulled out a chair and sat with them.
They untangled themselves and Carlos fixed his jacket, “How’s it going?”
“Fine,” Evie answered, “do you know where Mal is?”
Carlos shook his head, “I heard she might still be at the court meeting.”
Evie sighed, pushing the food around on her plate. Part of her wanted to vent about her awful day, but she also didn’t want Mal to discover the way Evie had been thinking of her as of late.
“Wow, E,” Jay whistled as he took in her appearance, “Who’s the lucky boy you’re trying to impress?”
“No one. Can’t I dress for myself?” she snapped defensively. He was right, but for some reason his comment hit a nerve.
Jay put his hands up in surrender, “Of course. You just look pretty today, that’s all.”
“I always do,” Evie flipped her blue hair over her shoulder.
Jay smiled and mimicked the action with his own locks, eliciting an uproar of laughter from the three of them. The thief looked over at Carlos, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
“Anyways,” Carlos said as once the laughter died down, “You coming to the game tomorrow? I need someone to talk to while I’m on the bench.”
“I am, but you are not going to be on the bench the whole game. Have more confidence!”
Jay nodded in agreement, chewing on some chicken and waving his fork around, “Besides I’m captain of the team, and I need someone to help me deal with Chad.”
“I don’t want to play just because you pity me,” Carlos responded.
“C’mon, you know it’s not like that C,” Jay reassured, “You’re amazing.”
Evie watched as the two shared a smile and felt a little better. She might be changing, or feel like something was wrong with her, but her friends were always there for her and each other. That would never change.
After eating and saying her farewells to Jay and Carlos, Evie made her way back to their dorm, ready to rest after the long day. Her thought were a mess, she just needed to take off her heels and enjoy a nice bubble bath. She could figure out everything another day.
Of course, the universe seemed to hate her (or love her, that was still up for debate), because as she opened the door she saw Mal reading on her bed. In Evie’s pajamas.
They were pearly white silk pajamas, one of her favorite sets. If it was anyone else, Evie would be screaming in anger, but she didn’t even trust herself to make any intelligible noises.
“Hey, E,” Mal greeted, her face falling as she saw Evie’s reaction, “Oh, sorry. I totally forgot to do laundry and I thought you wouldn’t mind. I can take it off if you want…”
Yes she totally would-- no. No she wouldn’t.
Evie took a deep breath, “No, I really don’t mind, we’re pretty much sisters anyways.”
Sisters. Why did she say that? And why did it sit so weirdly in her stomach?
After a moment of hesitation Mal smiled, “Good, because these are super nice,” she stroked the material of the pants.
Evie chuckled and set down her bag by her bed before going through her drawers and selecting her own sleepwear.
“Ya know, when you come home to the missus you’re supposed to ask how their day went,” Mal broke the silence, “At least that’s what Fairy Godmother says.”
“I didn’t realize we were an old married couple,” Evie joked.
“Oh, totally. Sharing clothes, bringing each other stolen cookies…” she lifted a bag of chocolate chip cookies, waving it around.
Evie smiled and sat beside her, “Aw, you did steal them for me… Wait, the court meeting! I totally forgot, I’ve had such a weird day.”
Instantly Mal frowned, talking Evie’s hand in her own, “Is everything okay E?”
How is she supposed to tell her best friend that she maybe sort of might not like guys and have a crush on her? That she feels trapped in her own body, and the only time she feels real, feels happy, is when she was with Mal.
“Everything’s fine,” she mustered, forcing the corners of her lips upward.
Unfortunately the purple haired girl didn’t believe that for a second, “Do I have to hurt someone? I have been waiting for an excuse.”
Well at least Mal was still herself. One of them had to keep themselves together.
“Seriously, it’s all good,” she grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite, letting the treat melt in her mouth, “So how was the court?”
Mal looked disappointed that she wasn’t going to tell her what was going on, but seemed to accept it, “Well, it was only mildly awkward being in the same room as Ben-- until Prince Phillip brought up a ‘conflict of interest’ due to our relationship and we had to explain our break up.”
She winced in sympathy, “Ouch. Was it weird seeing him? Do you miss him?”
“Miss him?” Mal scoffed, “Ben is great but… he’s too great. We fought all the time, neither of us were happy.”
“I thought he brought out the good in you? I mean, you’re over here trying to bring more kids from the Isle to Auradon. You don’t go from stealing candy out of a stroller to that in an instant,” Evie pointed out.
For a moment Mal looked lost in thought, like she was deciding what to say. Her mouth opened like a fish, not making a sound before she swallowed thickly, “That’s… Evie, I’m doing all of that for you, because it’s important for you. If I have the opportunity to make you smile, then I’m taking it. The fact that you can still do that, still care for others after being on the Isle? That’s what brings out the good in me. You’re the reason I’m trying to be a better person.”
Evie’s breath hitched, stunned into silence. Her heart was fluttering-- Mal was not the sort of person to even admit she was trying to change, let alone give her such an emotional reason why. The confession seemed to come out of nowhere, but the more Evie thought about it, the more sense it started to make. The small smiles Mal sent her when she gushed about how great it would be to have Dizzee to help with her fashion line, or the way she kept from lunging at people like Audrey when they were walking to class together.
And it was all for her.
A new feeling formed in Evie’s stomach, not exactly one of fear and isolation like she had felt earlier, it was something entirely different. It was intense, she felt like throwing up, smiling, and crying all at once. All of the sudden the weight and warmth of Mal’s hand in hers felt stronger, more apparent.
Love? She hadn’t ever experienced it before, but that’s the only word she could use to describe her rising heart rate.
Mal looked at her nervously, waiting for a response, but Evie couldn’t think of one. Instead her brown eyes examined the pale green ones watching her expectantly. Her sight flittered to Mal’s lips, which were soft and smooth, still stained by her lipstick. The overwhelming desire to touch them, to get closer to her, started to consume Evie as she inched closer and Mal did the same.
Mal’s hand started to move up Evie’s arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin; her own hand finding Mal’s waist and holding on.
They were only inches from one another when loud banging from the wooden door filled the room, startling the two of them and sending them far apart. Evie’s face was redder than her mother’s poison apples, and Mal turned to look out the window.
She clear her throat, flattening her skirt as she stood, “Yes?”
The door swung open to reveal Jane and Lonnie, who let themselves in. Evie let out a sigh. Of course.
“Sorry to disturb,” Lonnie started.
“But, we absolutely had to know how the court meeting went” Jane finished.
Lonnie nodded, “And we got super worried when you weren’t at dinner.”
“I was scared all my hard work and preparation wasn’t enough.”
Hard work? Evie was the one who made the dress and kept Mal from burning her etiquette book-- hell, she was the reason she was doing it all in the first place.
“No, it went great, thanks for checking in,” Mal said through a forced smile, a hint of anger in her tone.
“I heard you looked stunning, it’s on all the gossip sites,” Lonnie smiled.
“Yeah, well, that’s all ‘cause of Evie, she knows how to find the beauty in things.”
She smiled at the compliment, a wordless thank you exchanged between them.
“Good enough to win Ben back?” Jane winked.
“Why does everyone assume I want to be with him again?! That I want to be with a guy right now anyways?!” Mal snapped, causing the other girls to flinch, “The breakup was mutual. And besides, neither of us are a prize to be won!”
Jane put her hands up in surrender, “Sorry, it’s just… you two seemed so in love....”
“The whole reason we got together was a love potion Jane! We fought all of the time, we didn’t understand each other at all, no matter how hard we tried. Why do you Auradon kids always try to put me in this box and change who I am? That’s my decision-- none of you guys actually know me!”
Mal’s eyes began to turn luminescent green, her powerful magic building up as her anger did the same. Evie noticed her clenching and unclenching her tiny fists, trying not to explode in a rage.
“I think you guys should go,” Evie suggested, walking towards the door and opening it, “We’ll see you at the game tomorrow?”
Jane and Lonnie nodded quickly, apologizing as they rushed out.
Silence hung over the two girls as the dust settled and Mal attempted to calm down.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Evie didn’t specify whether ‘it’ was the freak out or their almost kiss, but either were okay with her.
A sigh came out of the lips Evie had been so close to touching, “No, I-- I just need sometime alone.”
Disappointed but not surprised, Evie picked up her clothes off of the bed, “Well, I’ll be in the bath and we can talk later if you’d like?”
Mal nodded timidly, “I need to go for a walk anyways.” With that she put on her slippers on and left the room.
Strange how you can be so passionate with someone for one moment and then be cold the next.
Evie pulled herself together and stripped off her clothes before drawing a bubble bath. Once it was done she lowered herself into the warm water, letting the calming scent of lavender fill her nose.
Why had she almost kissed Mal? Why did it feel so natural? The whole day she was trying to feel something for the countless princes on campus, but it was only when she was with one of the ladies of the court that her heart started to race.
It was impossible to deny now, Evie liked Mal as more than a friend, more than a sister. She wanted nothing more than to kiss all of the girl’s problems away, to melt under her touch.
But that was wrong. Evie was supposed to marry a nice prince and take over the Kingdom, fall in love and have a big wedding. Her mother didn’t want her to date someone who was supposed to be her enemy-- a competitor for power. If Mal even really wanted to be with her.
Salty tears mixed in with the bathwater, her body being shaken with sobs. She was broken.
Evie didn’t see Mal the next day until the tourney game, but the purple haired girl sent her a smile as she walking up the bleachers all the same.
The field was alive with excitement, the band was playing roaring upbeat music, and Jay was on the grass hyping his team up while going over their plays. She wanted to feel excited too, get swept up school pride, but the events of yesterday where weighing her down. Evidently, and unsurprisingly, Mal was pretending that nothing happened.
“Honestly, this game would be so much more interesting if they incorporated swords or spells,” Mal commented, popping some caramel apple popcorn in her mouth.
“Do you want Jay and Carlos to get hurt?”
Mal shrugged, “Builds character.”
The referee blew the whistle loudly, and the game was on, a blur of sweaty guys bumping into each other. And Evie felt no attraction.
Instead, she was focused on the girl beside her, the awkwardness between them. Would they ever talk about what happened? She can’t pretend like everything’s the same forever.
A mischievous smile spread across Mal’s face as Jay aggressively tackled one of the other players, and Evie’s stomach did somersaults.
The fondness did not last long however, as she grew more and more tired of actively not trying to break down in her seat. Evie made her way to the player’s bench, settling down in the spot next to Carlos.
“Still not playing?” Evie asked, offering him a piece of candy.
Carlos nodded, stuffing the chocolate into his mouth, “Yeah. I don’t really mind though, Jay’s kinda a madman today.”
As if on cue, Jafar’s son checked someone onto the ground, and the referee blew the whistle angrily.
“Is everything okay?”
“I dunno,” the freckled boy shrugged, “He was being super weird last night-- so was Mal.”
“Mal?” Evie’s curiosity was piqued.
“Mhm, she came over late last night, needing to talk to him. I didn’t hear any of it though, I figured I’d study in the library some instead… Is everything okay with her?”
“I-- it’s complicated. I don’t really know. Last night was… strange” Evie said lamely.
Carlos hummed in agreement, “I wanna be there for them, but it’s not like they're the only one’s going through some life altering crisis.”
He could’ve been talking about the transition from the Isle to Auradon, but Evie got the feeling it was something entirely different. That same one she picked up on the other night when the four of them were hanging out. Like Carlos was dealing with the same thing she was.
“Do you want to go on a walk together after the game?” she asked timidly, rubbing her hands together.
Carlos let out a sigh of relief, “Yes.”
After a successful game, albeit violent due to Jay’s state, the two met by the rose garden, which was relatively tranquil and abandoned. Most of the students were still on the field or heading to the dorms to celebrate.
“So, you said last night was strange?” Carlos asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked amongst the flowers.
Evie nodded, “Jane and Lonnie came over and… Mal kinda blew up about Ben.”
“Like regretting them splitting up?” he questioned, his tone dubious.
“No, that everyone keeps asking her if she does.”
After a moment Carlos spoke, “Did anything else happen?”
God, she hated how intuitive Carlos was, how he could easily tap into her emotions. The perks of being a boy genius she supposed.
“We had a moment. In a ‘we may or may not having been about to kiss before that whole thing happened’ kinda way," Evie rushed the words out, feeling like she was gonna throw up.
“Kiss? Do you like Mal that way?” he asked as he sat down on a stone bench.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how I’m feeling Carlos!” Evie sighed as she sat beside him, “It’s like, my whole entire life I’m told love is worthless unless I’m marrying a prince and getting a castle and… And now I feel like...”
“The one thing that made us normal, that seemed ‘good’, isn’t even a reality for us anymore,” he finished, his eyes downcast.
“So you’re… going through the same thing then?”
Carlos nodded, “I never really felt like I had the opportunity or reason to feel special or to love back on the Isle, but it’s different here. In Auradon they go on dates and kiss and comfort each other in tough times. And I guess when I started to imagine who I wanted to do that with, I kept thinking about Jay.”
“I think I just thought I liked boys because that’s what was expected of me. What I had to do to survive. God, we’re such messes,” Evie sighed.
“Maybe. Or maybe this is normal,” Carlos met eyes with her, “I’ve been doing some research. It’s what I do when I can’t understand something, find out everything I can about that subject. There’s this thing, it’s called being ‘gay’... When you only like the opposite gender. Lesbian, for girls specifically. But I um… I’m pretty sure I’m gay Evie.”
Evie smiled softly, “Me too C. Is it bad that I’m scared?”
“No, I am too. But we can get through this together.”
Carlos pulled her in for a tight hug, and they both began to tear up, a heavy weight lifted off of their shoulders.
“So, are you gonna go tell Mal?” he asked as they broke apart.
“I guess I should. I’m just worried she won’t feel the same way,” Evie admitted, playing nervously with the fabric on her skirt.
“E, please,” Carlos raised one of his bushy brows, “I’m pretty sure she’s been in love with you for a long time as well.”
Evie giggled, “And I’m pretty sure Jay feels the same.”
“Well, if this all goes horribly wrong the two of us can runaway and adopt new identities,” he half joked.
“Sounds very rational,” she nodded in agreement, “Tell me how it goes?”
“Of course.”
The two stood and hugged once again, before parting ways and heading off to do the scariest thing imaginable.
--------
“We need to talk.”
Mal looked up from her book, her eyebrow arching at Evie’s assertiveness. She kicked her feet off of the table before speaking, “About?”
“Can we not play coy for once Mal? This is serious,” Evie reprimanded.
“Okay, fine,” she was taken slightly aback, “I’m sorry for my outburst last night. I just hate that everyone assumes they know what I want.”
Evie moved closer, sitting on the table, “And what is it that you want?”
It was a loaded question, but they both understood the main implication behind it.
“I want you Evie, I’ve wanted to be with you since the Isle,” Mal confessed, moving to sit next to her, “But we weren’t even allowed to be friends, let alone girlfriends. Besides, all you do-- or did--- is obsess about boys and finding a prince. So, I thought Ben would be normal, safe. But all I could think about was you.”
Part of Evie wanted to kiss her senseless at the declaration, but the other became angry, “And now you’re just assuming you know what I want. Maybe I didn’t realize it until now but I feel the same way. I don’t want to marry the perfect prince-- that was all my mother. I want to be happy, and I’m happiest when I’m with you.”
For a moment, neither girl said or did anything, and Evie was seconds away from praying that she’d be struck by lightning.
“I know I usually just take what I want but… Can I kiss you?”
Evie smiled, joyful tears welling up in her eyes, “Yes.”
Mal’s warm hands cupped Evie’s face, stroking her blush covered cheeks, trying to take in every detail of her face, every crook and crevice. Her own hands rested on Mal’s thigh, as she studied the way the candlelight bounced off of her green eyes, the way her breathing caught and changed.
It seemed like centuries, but it was merely seconds before Mal leaned in and brushed her lips against Evie’s, and she was pretty sure she understood what magic felt like now. Somehow she was both in utter bliss and hyper aware, alive with passion.
Evie pulled her closer and closer, so that they were like two puzzle pieces locking into place. She could feel Mal’s heart race through her own chest, the way it matched up to her own. Mal kissed her again, more deeply and urgently, biting at her lower lip; and Evie found her hands tangling into the purple tresses as the nape of the girl’s neck. Giving an experimental tug, Mal let out a hum of amusement in her mouth, sending shivers down her spine.
Between labored breaths, Mal kissed her chastely before pulling apart and resting her own forehead on Evie’s.
“Well, I understand how true love's kiss can bring someone back to the dead,” Mal quipped, smiling against Evie’s lips.
Evie giggled, “I don’t know why I like you so much.”
“We can figure that out together,” she replied smoothly, “Although it might have to do with how beautiful and funny I am.”
“Somehow you’re being more vain than me.”
Mal tucked a blue curl behind her ear, “You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on Evie Grimhilde-- I don’t think you can even be vain.”
Evie grinned, kissing Mal once again before remembering her conversation with Carlos, “Oh no! I need to know if it went as well with Carlos and Jay.”
“Please, I’m sure it went fine,” Mal stood, reaching out a hand to help Evie up as well, “Besides, I just got you. I don’t feel like sharing for at least 24 hours,” she sent her a wink.
Evie blushed, flustered-- but ultimately happy. She could finally be who she truly was, and be with the person she wanted to be with most. Maybe it wasn’t what she had expected as a young girl, how she’d get to Auradon and be free. But being with Mal was so much better than anything she could’ve dreamed of.
