Author's note: My entry for Maleval Week, Day Three. The prompt was either "Aurora the match-maker"or "laughter". Either would have worked for my style, but I noticed a lot of people doing the match-maker thing so I decided to take a stab at laughter instead. The end result is utterly adorable, I think ;) Enjoy.

Brighter Than Sunshine

The discovery of Maleficent's deepest secret was a slow, somewhat arduous process.

Diaval had always assumed that his girlfriend's aversion of touch was due to the events of her past: and after all that had happened with Stefan he couldn't exactly blame her for it either.

In fact, he considered it a great triumph that Mal had agreed to start dating in the first place. He cherished their time together simply because it had taken a huge amount of effort to get her to let him into her heart and trust him.

He did his best to be patient with her. It had taken three weeks before she finally allowed hand-holding, and another two before they shared their first kiss.

The wait was worth it, as was Maleficent's smile when he pulled away.

Still: he would never in a million years have guessed the true reason why she hesitated when he wanted to brush his fingers along her skin.

Date nights were simple. They usually consisted of take-out from a local restaurant and curling up on the couch to watch a movie afterwards.

He noticed it the first time when they were watching Thor: the way she would fold her legs so that her feet were tucked underneath, and the few inches of space she always put between their bodies.

He finally tempted fate one night by stretching out and resting his legs on the coffee table and then patting the space next to him invitingly.

As usual, she attempted to put those few inches between them, but this time: he reached out and grabbed her wrist gently.

She inhaled sharply. "What are you doing?"

"I just want you closer, that's all," he tugged her up against his side, draping one arm around her shoulders.

For a moment, she went rigid, but then she did her best to relax and lean into his body, though she still sat with her legs tucked under her.

"Mal…I know you've been through a rough time before, but I promise: I won't bite. Stretch your legs out and get comfortable." Diaval insisted.

She looked over at him, noting the way his dark depths were glittering with hope, and her features softened. "It's not what you think…why I shy away from you."

"Oh really?" he arched an eyebrow. "Because I wouldn't blame you if it was due to Stefan, just for the record."

"That's part of it but…"she colored considerably. "The real reason is far more embarrassing."

Gently, he cupped her chin and turned her face towards his. "You can trust me with anything, sweetheart."

She couldn't help flinching away, but when she saw the hurt in his eyes, hers turned apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's…it's all right," he did his best to smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

After a lengthy silence, Maleficent decided to be frank with him. "It's because I'm extremely ticklish."

He blinked rapidly and then turned to face her again. "You're joking."

Maleficent shook her head. "No, I'm serious. Whenever you touch me, I just want to burst into laughter."

He gazed at her skeptically.

Sighing, she held out her arm. "Go on. I won't bite it back this time."

He was the one who hesitated this time, but after a light prod in the ribs, he finally brushed the back of his hand along the length of her arm.

Immediately, his girlfriend burst into a fit of giggles that were bubbly, light, and easily the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

Of course: he could understand her reasoning for hiding the fact. She had a reputation for being fiercely serious and it wouldn't do to be abruptly laughing at random intervals.

Diaval brought his eyes to hers. "You could have just told me."

She ducked her head. "It was too mortifying. I mean: it would make more sense that I didn't like to be touched than this."

He drew her into his side once more and touched his lips lightly to her forehead. "It's okay. I'm not judging you for it."

She sighed quietly and rested her head against his shoulder. "I guess it's better that I'm honest about it now than braying like a donkey when we make love for the first time."

"I highly doubt you'd bray like a donkey. Your laugh is gorgeous, just like the rest of you."

"You mean that?" she peered up at him.

The vulnerable look in her eyes made his heart clench and, to prove it, he leaned in and kissed her lightly.

She smiled against his mouth on instinct, and then tangled her fingers into his hair to draw him closer as, for the first time: she deepened the embrace.

Maleficent was unable to hold a laugh at bay when Diaval's fingers trailed lightly over her jaw, but she found that the more her mouth was preoccupied with his, the less she was likely to keel over in a fit of giggles.

So she kept kissing him: stealing away for moments of breath before bringing her lips back to his, moaning when he nibbled at her lower lip and maneuvered them so they were lying back on the couch, his body settling on top of hers as their embrace grew more heated.

Her hands slipped under the base of his sweater, stroking over the flat planes of his stomach and then moving up, tracing along the lean tone of his chest.

He tugged back to lift the garment over his head, ruffling his dark hair in the process and tossing it to the side.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at him, her gaze lingering over the scars that littered his chest. "Diaval…"

He glanced down. "Oh…right I should probably explain these at some point."

"Later," she breathed, dragging him back to her for another kiss while her fingers discovered the raised flesh: memorizing the patterns of each as he pinned her down into the couch cushions.

A sharp laugh emerged when his mouth discovered her neck, but she grew accustomed to the sensations rather quickly: even arching her back to assist him when he wanted to remove the top she was wearing.

He tugged her up into a sitting position as his hands explored her skin, delighting in the way she reacted when he found areas that were particularly sensitive.

Her legs locked around his waist when he scooped her up and carried her blindly towards the bedroom, their remaining clothing piling onto the floor until they were both naked and crashing back onto his bed: completely entwined.

The rest of the evening was filled with joyful laughter that was, to Diaval, brighter than sunshine.

"I knew you were exaggerating," Diaval murmured, much later when they were lying, still tangled and recovering from what had turned into relentless rounds of lovemaking. "There was no braying of any kind."

She snorted and pressed a kiss to his throat. "Well I couldn't be sure until we tried, now could I?"

He twisted in order to gaze down at her, reaching out to trace over the shape of her jaw.

Her toes curled at the contact but she managed, somehow, to not start laughing again. "I guess it just takes some practice."

Diaval grinned and leaned forward. "I'm willing to test that theory."

She just smirked and pulled him as close as possible.

The End