{This is my first Micheal x Mallory AU. I really love their relationship, and wanted to expand. When the season ended and I was left with nothing between the two, I knew I had to write something- and here it is. I hope you enjoy it, and please leave feedback!}
Mallory had never been in love. Admittedly, she was young- she had not met many people that could possibly share something with her. But there was always a constant pull; the tugging of a string from so far away, one she could never identify or weaken. It was just there. Cordelia had told her that it was normal for a witch to feel this way, especially a rising one- that it was merely her magic, locked away and slowly being distributed to her.
And, on calm days, she wouldn't fight the thought.
On restless days, anything but.
It was selfish to think of things like her love life when the world was teetering on the brink of collapse, and she was one of the key players. Not when her mentor- someone closer to her then her own mother- was fading away, coming closer to the end, and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
The arrival of Micheal Langdon should have put her on edge. When she looked at him, she should have felt a wave of rage as the others described, should have shared in their thoughts of a plan to stop him. But instead, she felt that tug, stronger; at her heart, her mind, every inch of her. It was like fire and ice, rage and passion.
Cordelia had welcomed him with little resistance. She had not told them of a plan- a hint of what life would be like if he was the Supreme, what they should do when she died- and had instead encouraged them to interact with the boy as if he was a normal member of the Coven, and help him hone his skills. Mallory had tried to comply.
"Micheal." He had extended his hand, his warm breath coming closer, soft strands of her own hair moving with the gentle rhythm. He had just arrived, washed adrift with bags and luggage. Cordelia had given him a hug- a hug- and then waved him over to the others. Zoe had been formal, polite, as that was her very aura. The others had pushed out words intended to be kind, but had succumbed to the more bitter half of themselves, all the while giving him major side eye.
And then he had introduced himself to her, his sparkling blue eyes meeting her own brown. She hasn't known how she would react- it wasn't as if she had been trained for the very moment that they would interact- but it was if it had not been up to her anyway. Her body acted involuntary, and she held his gaze; her back straightening and her face turning pale. He had returned it still, and it had seemed as if they had been lost in each other, in the moment, without any actual contact.
"Mallory." She whispered suddenly, taking one step back, almost slipping on the polished floor beneath her. The moment had been broken, and- now that it wasn't there- it was as if it had never happened at all. If he had gotten any closer, if he had spoken any more words to her, then she would have lost control completely and wrought havoc on them all.
He turned away, his gaze turning next to the stairs. It hurt- that string pulled taught, and she felt as if it might reach up and wind around them both, to stop him from leaving and turning away from her- but it was still too far away.
What was that?
She couldn't describe it as love. They had only just met, and every image she had painted in her head of him had been of a cruel, demonic being resembling a man. Cordelia's vision had been spread far and wide through the school, corrupting their own dreams for the future.
That wasn't hate.
Her stomach lurched as he started to walk up the stairs, his shoes making soft sounds that still seemed to echo through the halls, and she looked to her friends, a desperate, pitiful look taking over. Zoe noticed first, her lips pursing in worry- but that was the only reaction she had gotten before her legs had taken her where she needed to go, and the rooms passed her in a flash of white until she was at the bathroom.
Mallory had aimed for the toilet, her throat constricting with the physical weight of her emotions, the memory of his face flashing before her eyes. She could hear the faint worries and queries of the others, could hear the weight of Coco's footsteps echoing until they were outside the door.
"Sweetie? Are you okay?" She called out, an obvious edge of fear ringing her voice. Mallory realised how strange it must have been to see Micheal enter, and her run off in a strange terror upon meeting him. Maybe they thought that she was his new target- the next to wither away. Maybe she really was his next prey, and this was revenge against all the witches; to make the most vulnerable fall for him desperately, for them to watch as she grew pathetic and left herself to him.
Why am I thinking like this?
"All good. Just felt a bit queasy- I think I had some shitty food for breakfast." Mallory muttered an excuse, her throat scratchy from the remnants of her food- but not just that. She felt tears blurring the edge of her vision, pain bursting in from every angle. Already, she was thinking of the future, lewd fantasies and outcomes, all involving him and her.
Coco shifted, and she could feel her hesitation. There was an unspoken question drifting between the walls, care and love emanating off of both. But fear overweighted them both.
You know, don't you?
And now, she couldn't deny it, no matter how stupid the words sounded to her. Something had happened between her and Micheal Langdon, in the brief moment that they had met for the first time. Something was happening, and she could not push it away with excuses and lies.
Mallory got up, flushing the toilet and passing the mirror, wiping the corners of her lips, before she stepped out and was greeted with the sight of her best friend, armed with a hug and a smile.
"There you go, there you go." She whispered soothingly, playing with a long strand of her hair absentmindedly, the tears she had tried to stop falling. There was a warm silence, even from her own thoughts- and Mallory relaxed, taking a deep breath and letting the oxygen flow through her, the steady motion letting her return to reality.
Cordelia was waiting at the top of the stairs, a small smile curling her lips as she took in the display of affection between her two students. "Good, Mallory. It's unfortunate that you felt sick. But you're okay now." She eyed the girl with curiosity, but another veiled presence, emotion, tucked beneath her mind. As if she knew more than Mallory could ever know- and she did.
They all waited, blending into the warm exterior of Robichaux's, the comforting knowledge that they were all a team nagging at their mind. The presence of Micheal had been an unwelcome one- it put them all in various shared states of unease, and whatever Mallory was feeling- but they were all a team, and they all would be. A coven.
Until a soft voice interrupted their trance.
"I wanted to apologise." Micheal stood outside his new room, those supposedly hateful eyes now gentle, and almost childlike. Mallory couldn't imagine him as the perpetrator of the end of the world- instead, a flash of a little boy, hunched over a Rubix Cube, his blonde curls like a halo around his head- passed through her mind.
"I didn't mean to upset you." He directed his next words directly towards the trembling girl, the apology clear in his mind. All the women looked at him, before putting on a facade of ease- even Mallory, though conflicting instincts fought for each other. She knew her mistake, and so averted her gaze and replaced him with a faceless man, who had just bumped into her and split his coffee over her dress.
"It's okay. I just felt a bit ill. It wasn't you at all." She gave a weak smile to the floor, forcing as much strength into her voice as she could- and, convinced that she had made an okay cover for herself, headed for her own bedroom, giving her sisters an apologetic frown. "I'm going to go and rest."
With that, she walked up the next level of stairs, still feeling the effects of those piercing blue eyes catching with hers, still hearing the echo of his voice in her ears.
Mallory knew she wouldn't sleep tonight.