Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT.
Author's Notes: With the talk of that book of dragons and the princess who wanted to live with the dragon because she was sick of her life and wanted adventure, something stuck out to me about dragons choosing their gender at maturity, so I wrote about it.
I have had two friends beta this story for respectfulness and sensitivity toward the subject, however if anything in this concerns you, please talk to me and I will adjust as necessary. I don't want to step on toes or upset people.
I Could Be a Man?
"Why did you choose to be female, Mal?"
The spluttering noises of water being spit from a mouth was the next sound that the dragon heard, head turned to take in the sight of the young brunette. "Are you okay, Lily?" she queried, eyes narrowed in scrutiny.
Coughing a few times before clearing her throat, she finally piped up, "Uhm...yeah, I'm fine. What—what did Regina say?" she asked, perplexed by the possibilities presented with that one question. Was Regina baiting her, teasing her or something? She was uncertain but Lily had grown accustomed to her other mother posing questions that brought conversation into the household for her and Mal to get closer. It was a nuisance at best but she usually brought up topics that piqued her interest, much like this one.
Mal chuckled lightly, crossing her legs before she took a sip of her own coffee. "She asked why I chose to be female versus male when I reached maturation," she reiterated, calm as day.
Lily continued to blink at her mother for several moments, unable to form words, to ask her next question and regain her composure. Hating that she had to resort to this particular course, she finally looked at her mother was a slight pleading look, asking her to speak in her stead.
"Dragons are unisex when born but once they reach full growth they then choose which gender they will go through life as. Some choose sooner if they have human shifting parents," Regina began, glancing at Maleficent to hopefully get her hint to continue and discuss her own decision on gender and tell her tale.
Maleficent hummed for a second before lowering the mug to her lap and wrapping her other hand around its surface as she stared into the dark contents. "My parents were a special breed of dragon, those that believed in humanity and wished for me to treat the race with respect. It was highly thought in my family that as the older species it was our duty to help humans along in their evolution and assist in their growth to a higher state of being. Many, many centuries, or perhaps millennia ago, we were not so different than the human race was in the Enchanted Forest. We believed in a higher power, practiced religion, fought pointless wars. But we eventually grew out of it and adapted to a stronger sense of being and life," she started as though telling a grand story. Might as well start at the beginning after all. It was a very good place to start. And it would provide a wonderful insight into her own childhood and how she might have raised Lily, which was something she had wished to talk about many a time with her daughter. Having the opportunity now was a blessing.
The younger of the brunette's nodded her head in contemplation, drawing both her legs up into the chair and hugged them to her chest as her eyes were once again drawn to her blonde mother to continue listening. It didn't really answer the question but...she didn't feel like commenting on that right now. Mal...had a soothing voice. Not that she would ever bring herself to admit it, but it always made her feel safe and comfortable, the rest of the world falling away into nothingness. To a much lesser degree she felt that with Regina, but presumed it was because the two hadn't spent much time together when Lily was still in Mal's belly. Which she and Mal had spoken about once before.
"Granted, dragons are still highly greedy and exclusionary, which is why so much literature is written about their hoarding tendencies and their prizing of precious gems and treasure...or company," Maleficent trailed off, glancing at Regina briefly. Their situation was far different, but there were plenty of times she wished to extend her open door policy to the young queen and keep her from the rest of the world and give her the life she deserved away from her horrid husband and the child that broke her heart in two. Regina looked up at Mal with a curious countenance as she reached for one of her hands and entwined their fingers, drawing forth a smile from those plump lips she adored.
"You being hatched as a human is no surprise to me, your other parent aside, because I too was born human. The first in my father's line to be quite honest. Shifting between dragon and human is a strong quality in my family, a long standing belief passed down from generation to generation. Being gender fluid though, I appeared androgynous for a long time, but I soon found I had a preference to taking after my mother and kept my hair long and curly," Maleficent chuckled as the next memory passed through her thoughts. "I never could conform to one set of clothes, far too much liking trousers and tunics to traipse around in," she added, the smile on her face light and breezy.
It was clear to Regina that Mal enjoyed reminiscing about her childhood, obviously a happy one from the times they discussed her parents and how she had intended to bring up Lily had that option been afforded her. They never would have talked about that history in the Enchanted Forest due to the pain Regina still felt so plainly about her own torrid childhood but she was glad Maleficent felt she could share that knowledge with her now. The mayor smiled, squeezing her lover's hand in assurance, urging her onward.
Maleficent took a quick peek at Regina, sending a small spark of magic through their hands in the form of a memory of young Mal standing in front of a full-body mirror in all her ambiguous glory of trousers and tunic. Her hair was trimmed short at the time, close to her neckline and as curly as her hair was after a good rest. A smirk planted on her face as she jutted out a hip and rested her hands on her waistline. Regina bit the inside of her cheek as she looked down at her lap to avoid laughing and drawing Lily's attention to her. Of course young Mal was sassy. Was there any other version of the woman sitting beside her?
Who was she kidding? There were so many sides to Mal, far too many to name in one full sitting. And that's why she loved the blonde. Regina looked up at her girlfriend affectionately, daring to lean over and peck her cheek despite their daughter's presence. They tried to keep p.d.a.s to a minimum but she couldn't help the occasional appreciation.
"I hated dresses growing up," Lily muttered in all honesty. Then again, both mothers could glean that from her current wardrobe selections and personality, but neither commented on it. She forced herself to then look at Maleficent. "So...you hit maturity and...what?"
"Maturation is different between dragons and humans. Though my dragon form reached fully size swiftly, I hadn't hit maturity, but my human body was still that of a teenager's when I had to choose my..." Maleficent cleared her throat, looking at Lily critically for a moment. "...genitalia. I suppose I again leaned toward my mother in choice because of how lovely she always appeared. So I decided to be female. And I haven't regretted it for a single day," she admitted freely, leaning in to rest her forehead on Regina's, smiling at her.
Lily watched the small exchanged silently, noting the shine in Regina's eyes as her mothers looked at each other. It was clear to her that they were in love and that they were happy at reuniting and she was pleased for them, no matter her own odd feelings about the whole two biological mothers thing. Slowly she felt a small tug of a smile on her face and she couldn't help the fluttery feeling she felt in her chest. She had two parents, alive...together...and happy. How many people could say that? Not many she had ever known as a kid.
"You never did like to wear dresses though after choosing, though. Those knee-high dresses with flowing backs...the tight fitting trousers," Regina pointed out, trying to recall the first on her list, remembering how distracted those outfits had been to her younger self, eyes locked on those toned calves and slowly traveling upwards. What she wouldn't give to recreate one of those dresses in a more modern fashion to ask Mal to wear for one of their outing dates. Suddenly parched, she licked her lips and withdrew from the intimate space before taking a sip of her coffee.
Maleficent caught the dazed look on Regina's face and smirked slightly as she also settled back into the cushion of her seat, looking over to Lily, barely catching the lasting remainder of the smile on her face as she wiped her expression clean. Voice soft, Lily asked her last prominent question. "I could be a man?"
Without hesitation Maleficent spoke up, sensing the stiffening of Regina's spine at contemplating that possibility. "You can't now. And I'm not entirely sure you would have had that option with two female genetics within you had you been exposed to magic from the start," she explained calmly.
Lily nodded her head slowly, glad to get that question out, but moving on to a new topic was going to be one hell of a segue. She surreptitiously slid her phone out and checked for any messages before checking the time. "I was gonna meet up with Emma for a drink and kick her ass at pool. I should...probably get going," she mumbled, unable to meet either of her mothers' eyes as she stood from the chair.
"Alright. Have fun," Regina spoke softly, eyes studying her daughter. Maleficent smiled at Lily on the off chance she caught a glimpse of her, following her as she exited the house. "You don't think...I scared her off, do you?"
"No, sweetheart, I highly doubt that. It was going to come up eventually, I'm sure even with our genes she must have felt some confusion growing up. Some latent dragon instinct trying to claw its way to the surface. It is who she is, who we are and if she decided to have children..." Mal trailed off, the thought of becoming a grandmother too much to bear so soon after reuniting with Lily. Then again, the young brunette had made no indication of being romantically inclined, much less looking to be a mother. If she were to take after Mal it may be a long time before she felt ready to be a parent.
The mayor lifted Mal's chin and turned it toward her, smiling serenely. "Let's not think on that scary subject, okay?" she said kindly, leaning forward and capturing her lips. Mal kissed back, nipping at Regina's bottom lip, earning a yelp from the other woman who proceeded to glare halfheartedly at her.
"Would you have felt differently had I been a man?"
Regina's eyes widened as her mouth hung open slightly. She glanced down at her lap, chocolate eyes darting to and fro several times. "I might have been more wary initially considering the treatment I had received from men at the time we met, but..." she looked up. "...your personality would've have changed much. Gender, or genitalia, aside I love you Maleficent. With every fiber of my soul. That could never be swayed," she finished with all the earnest of a beaver attending his dam. Mal felt her heart lighten as her eyes grew wet. Rather than continue staring at this beautiful open armed and understanding creature to risk the chance of crying she leaned in for a soft kiss of thankfulness. How had she ever been lucky to meet Regina Mills?