Maleficent Is Conflicted (on_dark_wings) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-09-19 15:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, aurora [disney], maleficent |
That's what this is about?
Who: Maleficent and Aurora, also featuring Stefan Irons
What: Rude awakenings
When: Recent
Where: Maleficent's condo
Warnings/Ratings: PG-13, violence, bigotry
Aurora stretched and took a deep breath. Her face still ached from when her father hit her, but the swelling in her lip felt like it had gone down. She didn’t want to get out of bed just yet. She really didn’t want to do anything today besides spend time with Maleficent. Besides, if she stayed in, people couldn’t get pictures of her with her face looking like it did.
Which was a concern that Mal was well aware of. And she’d likely get the initial blame. She made arrangements to work from home, and then slipped back into bed with Aurora with every intention of holding her close and not letting go.
Aurora opened her eyes just a little when she felt the covers move and the bed shift slightly. She smiled at Maleficent and moved to cuddle against once the faery settled in. "Welcome back," she murmured, closing her eyes.
“I did not go far, nor do I intend to as long as you wish me to stay.” She kissed Aurora’s forehead, then took her hand and squeezed.
“Good.” Aurora sighed contentedly. This was the best way to spend a day.
Meanwhile, Stefan Irons glared at the front door of Mara Tamsin’s condo. He flicked open a knife and began carving into the door. He chose the worst insults he could think of, because that bitch had screwed him over for the last time.
Maleficent thought she heard something, lifting her head and tilting it. She furrowed her brow. “Do you hear something?”
Aurora held her head up, frowning slightly. There was a faint sound, yes. “Sort of a...thunk and then a scrape…” That was odd.
Stefan finished his carving and took a step back to admire his handiwork before he began pounding on the door.
Sliding out of bed, Maleficent pulled on a robe. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, and stopped only long enough to pick up her staff before she was at the door. She waited between poundings to throw it open, so that it wouldn’t be there when he brought his fist down. She looked at the door, and her staff crackled.
Aurora sat up and watched as Maleficent prepared to investigate. She wasn’t sure she wanted to follow.
Stefan drew back when the door opened. He’d prepared a tirade, but was distracted by the strange stick in Mara’s hand. “What the fuck is that thing?”
The hem of Maleficent's bathrobe fluttered at her feet. It wasn't that losely tied, either. It was thin and purple and it was her favorite but right now it looked like a storm brewing. "A walking staff, you bigoted idiot. What time is it?" She tapped it on the ground, then leaned on it, looking at him expectantly. She was holding her temper in, and was proud of herself.
“I don’t give a shit what fucking time it is! You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Think you could fuck with my businesses by fucking my kid?” Stefan’s eyes flickered past Mara into the condo. “Did she come running to you? Did she?” The brat was more trouble than she was worth. How much had he spent on her upkeep over the years? And this was how she repaid him? “Should’ve hit the little slut harder…”
"That's what this is about? You're worried more about your company than you are about your own daughter?" It took all of Maleficent's willpower to not throttle him where he stood. Or turn him into a newt. Her eyes flashed and she gripped her staff harder. If she assaulted him that would make their own case harder.
"We will be filing charges, Stefan. For both your assaulting her and the damage to my door. Did you know that hate crimes have longer sentences? By the time I'm through with you, not only will you be in jail, your company will be ruined. I'll see you begging on the street."
Stefan sneered. “We’ll see about that. You try to do a fucking thing to any of my holdings, I’ll see she’s the one left holding the debt. Did you think about that? Everything she has is because of me. You ruin me, you ruin your precious little pet.” He sneered again and took a menacing step towards Mara.
"Take one more step into my apartment," Maleficent warned, her voice booming just a little more than natural. "I dare you, Stefan. Do you honestly think I care about your money? Or about you? Do you honestly think I hate you so much that I would ruin your daughter in the process? I'm not you. But maybe you're right.."
She leaned in, suddenly, her patented 'I'm going to fuck you up' smile firmly in place. "My dear Stefan...All I wish is to ruin you. Your company, your holdings, everything will be mine, and then I'll hand it to Aurora on a silver platter. What happens after that? It's entirely up to her. So I suggest you make at least a miniscule effort to be a father, if you want so much as a penny to your name."
Stefan’s confidence wavered for a moment. Mara could certainly be...intense. “You won’t manage that.” He wanted to hit her. He really should hit her for daring to think she could do that to him.
He glanced behind her again in time to Aurora, wearing what had to be a spare robe of Mara’s come into view. She froze when she saw him. So she was watching now, was she? He’d show her who had the most power. He shifted back slightly and swung his fist as hard as he could at Mara’s eye.
Seeing his face again was enough to bring back unpleasant memories. Dual memories from two lives, each as unpleasant as the one before. How naive she'd been. How foolish. Some small, dark part of her wondered how much of him was in Aurora. How badly was she going to get hurt?
She hadn't expected him to swing at her. Maleficent was so shocked that she took the punch.She stumbled into her book case, and then the entire room began to glow with green light. Her wings stretched out from wall to wall, reaching the ceiling and the glamour faded from her face, sharpening her cheekbones and extending her horns. She bared her teeth in a snarl at him before regaining her composure.
And just like that, all returned to normal, save the darkening bruise over her eye. She would have cursed him then and there if Aurora had not been present. "Get out before I call the police."
Stefan stumbled back in terror. He did not remember Mara having those before. What the fuck was that woman? Still, he didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and ran.
Aurora had been enraged and a little scared when her father hit Maleficent. Maleficent’s reaction, however, was...Aurora couldn’t take her eyes off the faery’s powerful display. She was beautiful, and Aurora had no doubt that anyone else would have gone with “terrifying” over “beautiful,” but Aurora prefered her own description.
"I hope he shit himself," Maleficent spit, uncharacteristically crude, but Stefan had a way of bringing that side out in her. She looked at the door, and sighed. "Best take a picture. Can you call the police, beastie?"
She was anything but calm. Inside, she was raging. Inside she was planning, she was plotting. Perhaps, if Loki wanted his chaos, she might just have a target for him.
Aurora nodded. “Yeah…” She walked over to Maleficent and kissed her cheek. “You were magnificent,” she said.
“I…thank you.” She cupped Aurora’s cheek, gently. “I wouldn’t use that word. I had to..restrain myself.”
Aurora leaned into the touch. “I’m glad you did, even if he was beyond horrible.”
“I mean it. I will take his company from him and give it to you.”
Aurora grinned a little. “Will you help me figure out how to run things? When you do?”
She tilted her head. “You’re taking that fairly well, my l-dear.”
That little slip made Aurora’s smile light up. “I’m...well I’m trying not to think of all the things that could happen between now and then, I think.”
"I wish we could do something to stick in his craw," Maleficent murmured, mostly to herself. Her eye hurt, she felt vindictive, and there were obscene words carved into her door.
“...like something that would piss him off more, but that he can’t really do anything about because we can bury him with lawsuits?” Aurora could think of a few things, but she’d rather not involve further showings in the press. Unless it was on their terms.
"Yes, precisely. I've already put into motion an eventual hostile takeover, but that will take time. In the meantime, we can bury him in the press..."
Aurora nodded thoughtfully. “Do you have any ideas yet?”
“Not as yet. But suppose if someone were to leak about his…” She gestured at the door. “Lack of tolerance.”
“That would definitely start making things harder for him,” Aurora said. “It’s...pretty hard to misinterpret his feelings based on...what he wrote.”
“I’m sorry, but your father is a monster,” Maleficent hissed. She was going to lose her cool again, and she didn’t want to take it out on Aurora. But if Stefan was a monster, wasn’t she as well?
“I liked it better when he basically didn’t exist in my life,” Aurora said. “But i started learning just what sort of man that distance hid when he hit me. The, um, door and that rant he gave me...have some overlap. And it hurts…” She wrapped her arms around Maleficent’s waist and sighed.
"I'm sorry. If we hadn't...if I hadn't taken you out, none of this would have happened. At least not like this."
“I wanted to go out, remember? Maybe it wasn’t the best choice of places, but I had a wonderful night. But I’m thinking dining in for a little while might be good, too.”
"Yes. But I think I wanted to show you off, a little." Maleficent looked a little sheepish. Aurora brought out the worst (or maybe the best) in her.
Aurora smiled and brought a hand up to cup Maleficent’s cheek, her thumb caressing the faery’s sharp cheekbone. “And I wanted to be seen with you. Who wouldn’t?” She sighed. “I just wish reporters weren’t such assholes.”
"That is one thing that will never change. They will always be assholes." She shivered, closing her eyes at Aurora's touch. Every ounce of her body ached for the girl. Wanted her, needed her, needed to tell her how she felt.
But she didn't.
She couldn't.
“Yeah. But at least...at least now my father will probably know better than to react to any of it.” And that was really a great relief. Aurora felt she could learn to deal with most everything else.
She wasn't as sure as her young lover. Stefan angered easily, and was blinded by his ambition and his paranoia. She knew he'd spent sixteen years in their dreams preparing for her. She also knew the best revenge right now, was to make him think she was up to something, and be constantly on the lookout. "Perhaps."
Aurora sighed. “I guess we should go ahead and call the police and get that part over with.” So much for a quiet, restful day.
Maleficent looked at the door again. "After that, we are going to stay in a hotel until my door has been replaced. So a night, maybe two. We'll make a vacation of, hmm?"
“That sounds lovely.” Aurora knew they could both use some time to get-away from...all this.
She passed her hand over Aurora’s face, casting a pain suppressing spell. “Now then. Breakfast?”
Aurora smiled brightly. “Breakfast would great!”